Victims Together
by Veozar
Summary: Weiss and Ilia may as well be opposites, with every reason to hate each other. When an accident in Mountain Glenn leaves them stranded in the depths between the lost settlement and Vale, they will have to work together to escape the tunnels with their lives. And maybe...they aren't so different after all. Rainbow Dust story. (COMPLETE)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 — Not a Good Day**

* * *

Ilia Amitola was not having a good day. It was bad enough that it had been necessary for her to take Banesaw's place on this suicide mission, but now there was a team of human Huntresses on board.

This mission wasn't for Ilia. Her skills involved spying and subterfuge. That didn't change the fact that besides Torchwick and his crazy partner, Ilia was the best fighter here.

 _This isn't right,_ she reminded herself. _These men are all being sent to die. All so a human's plan can be furthered._

A breach on Vale. That was what the humans wanted. And Adam was willing to sacrifice his men, to risk sacrificing _her_ , for it to succeed.

Not that Adam or Ilia planned on her dying. She had enough aura to survive the crash, after all. She could escape in the chaos, leaving Torchwick to be arrested.

A large explosion shook the train above her. The Huntresses were getting closer.

This was why Ilia had to spend weeks in dirty caves, taking orders from a human. Banesaw had been killed by a Huntsman, leaving the Mountain Glenn mission without a strong Faunus fighter. That was, unless Ilia took his place. The Huntresses' presence only proved Adam was right to request that she join this mission.

Ilia lowered herself onto one of the cargo boxes. Her knuckles were white from her grip on her weapon. Not for the first time, she wondered if she should have refused Adam.

She had never denied an order before. Even if she sometimes questioned the White Fang's actions, she always went along with them, because the humans deserved to suffer. If there was any reason Ilia had doubts, it was because she didn't want her actions to cause more pain for the Faunus.

She could see the results from this attack. Faunus would be discriminated even more. How many would lose their jobs? How many would be forced to work in a dust mine? How many would die in the same way as her parents?

 _Why, Adam?_ she wondered. _What will this achieve?_

She steeled herself when she heard three thumps in the next car. The Huntresses were inside.

She rose slowly, setting herself into a guarded stance. Now wasn't the time for doubts. The humans had attacked them for so long. No matter her thoughts on this breach, at least it would give them a chance to attack back.

* * *

"You two go on ahead," Yang said. "This one's mine."

Weiss flashed her a worried look, but just a glimpse of the blonde girl was enough to tell Weiss she wouldn't back down. Neither would the multi-colored mute, if her cocky smirk was anything to go by.

Weiss nodded to Blake, and the two of them ran forward. The mute let them go. Part of Weiss wished she hadn't, so that they could have stuck together.

 _We have to stop the train,_ she reminded herself. _Besides, Yang can take care of herself._

She shook the thought off, running into the next car. Her eyes hardened at the sight of another obstacle. A White Fang member stood before them, whip raised and ready to lash at them.

Weiss turned to Blake so she could tell her to go on ahead, only to see Blake was a few steps behind her. Her eyes were wide, focused on the White Fang girl. Weiss glanced at the one who had put Blake in this state, only to see her whip had lowered and her jaw was hanging.

"B-Blake?" the White Fang member choked.

Whoever this girl was, hearing her voice made Blake's eyes narrow. "Ilia," she growled.

"You know her?" Weiss blurted. She looked back at Ilia, who had once again raised her whip. She pulled it backward, as if to lash forward. Seeing that, Weiss made a decision.

"Go ahead," Weiss said. "Stop Torchwick."

Blake's eyes widened. "But—"

"Go!" Weiss summoned a time dilation glyph under Blake.

 _Please. I don't want you to lose your focus against her._

Blake complied. With the glyph's assistance, she flew forward. Ilia finally lashed out with her whip, aiming for Blake. Weiss was there, catching it on the edge of her sword. By the time Ilia pulled it back again, Blake was gone. Without the distraction, Ilia's full attention was on Weiss.

"Schnee!" Ilia snarled. Her face was hidden behind her mask, but Weiss could imagine her expression was an ugly one. "How many more lives will you ruin? How many more of my people will you make suffer?"

Weiss took up a fencing stance. "I will not speak to a criminal like you," she snapped. "You White Fang are a stain on the world. As a Huntress, it is my duty to stop you."

"You Schnees are the criminals!" Ilia roared. "You oppress the Faunus, look down on them when you're the ones killing us! You're the ones who murdered my parents!"

Her parents? Weiss shook her head. If Ilia believed Weiss' hatred of the White Fang came because they were Faunus, she was wrong. There was a time where Weiss hadn't trusted the Faunus. That was before she had met Blake.

Now, she wouldn't let Blake's work on her be tarnished by Ilia's accusations. She surrounded the girl in glyphs, and leaped forward.

She had been hoping to bounce from glyph to glyph, striking Ilia enough times to end the fight before it really begun. She should have realized someone who had been close to Blake wouldn't go down that easily.

When Ilia's whip flung forward, Weiss spun. The action tightened her body enough to dodge the electric attack, but put her off course from her glyphs. She landed on the ground, backflipping to dodge another attack from Ilia.

A foot struck Weiss' face, knocking her onto her back. It was only the swift summon of a gravity glyph that let Weiss throw herself back before getting electrocuted from Ilia's whip.

Weiss knew her limits. She was at her best when supporting her team, not in a one on one fight. If she did get stuck in one, her best option was to use her mobility to outpace the opponent, ending the fight swiftly.

That wasn't an option with Ilia. She had even more mobility than Weiss, and seemed completely at ease in a one on one. If Weiss wanted to win, she needed to outsmart her opponent.

With that in mind, she brought her fire dust to the front of Myrtenaster. When Ilia attacked her, Weiss leaned sideways and let the fire loose. Three different fireballs all shot after Ilia, one after another.

Rather than dodge, Ilia swung her whip, catching each fireball. Her fourth swing was aimed directly at the spot where Weiss had been.

Had been. Because Weiss was already moving. In the time Ilia had spent defending herself, Weiss had formed a time dilation glyph beneath her. Once again, she surrounded Ilia with glyphs.

This time, Ilia didn't have the chance to stop her. Weiss cut through Ilia. The hit didn't do any real damage thanks to the girl's aura, but it stunned her enough for Weiss to jump on the nearest glyph, then throw herself at Ilia again. She jumped from glyph to glyph, striking Ilia each time she passed her. Finally, Weiss swung downward, knocking Ilia to the train car's floor.

Ilia recovered quickly. She pushed herself up, moving into a flip when Weiss swung at her. Weiss' sword grazed the air directly above her stomach.

 _So close,_ Weiss thought, doing a similar motion to Ilia when the White Fang member swung at her once more.

Dodge complete, Weiss summoned a wall of ice between the two of them. Knowing it wouldn't buy her much time, Weiss summoned a gravity glyph below her, lifting herself into the air. Another glyph let her hang there while she waited.

Her prediction had been correct. The ice cracked, then splintered into pieces. Ilia charged through the falling pieces. Her skin was a deep read.

 _A chameleon Faunus,_ Weiss noted. Not that the information helped her much right now.

"You Schnees are all cowards!" Ilia roared. "Quit hiding and face me!"

If that's what she wanted. A glyph formed under Ilia, launching her into the air like it had Weiss. Weiss leaped off her own glyph, striking Ilia's side with Myrtenaster. A glyph caught both of them before they could hit the ground.

Controlling the battleground they fought on was Weiss' best chance. She'd had more than enough practice jumping from glyph to glyph, and while Ilia was acrobatic, she wouldn't know when the platform beneath them would vanish.

That didn't seem to deter her. Ilia jabbed her unextended whip at Weiss, who caught it on Myrtenaster and pushed forward. Weapons locked, the two gritted their teeth as each tried to overpower the other.

"You call us cowards," Weiss hissed. "Yet you're the ones trying to let the Grimm do your dirty work on Vale."

To Weiss' surprise, Ilia paused as her face twisted in discomfort. Weiss almost won their struggle due to the moment of hesitation, before Ilia redoubled her efforts.

"You have _no_ moral high ground to stand on!" Ilia retorted. "Not after all your family has done."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "If you judge me because of my family, then you're no better than those who discriminate the Faunus."

She dropped the glyph, causing both of them to fall. Ilia cried out, and in the time she took to recover, Weiss managed to pierce her stomach, ramming her into the ground. The girl's aura crinkled, but didn't break. Would she have given up if it had?

It didn't matter, because she grabbed ahold of Weiss' arm, pushing her down and into her whip. Weiss bit her lip at the pain that struck her stomach. She tried to rise, but had to duck when Ilia, now standing, extended her weapon. Weiss let the movement take her into a roll, which gave her momentum to rise and thrust Myrtenaster forward.

Not enough. Ilia blocked the attack, activating the electricity to send a shock through Weiss' hand. Myrtenaster went flying from her grasp.

Weiss' eyes widened. She whirled back on Ilia, to see her smirking. With a gasp, Weiss threw herself to the ground, toward Myrtenaster.

Ilia's whip got to it first, sending it flying away just as Weiss reached it. When Weiss tried to catch it on a glyph, Ilia just struck that.

Weiss knew what Ilia was doing, and after missing Myrtenaster two more times, Weiss refused to play along. Ilia wanted to wear Weiss out so she could strike when Weiss wasn't prepared. After all, it wasn't like she had to worry as long as she kept Weiss from reaching her weapon.

That must have been Ilia's thought, because she was entirely unprepared when Weiss swung a fist at her. Weiss wasn't a hand to hand combatant, but she was nowhere near as bad at it as Ruby. When her punch connected, Ilia's head snapped backward, and Weiss was able to follow up with a kick.

Weiss was expecting the attack to knock Ilia down. She wasn't expecting it to break Ilia's aura.

 _She must have been lower on it than I thought._

Weiss' eyes fell on Myrtenaster, laying against one of the car's many crates.

She dove for it.

* * *

Ilia grunted when she hit the train car's floor. She took a deep breath before pushing herself to her knees, then standing. It was too late. The Schnee had her weapon, and Ilia had no aura.

Her stomach churned. After everything, she had lost. She lowered her eyes at the sight of the Schnee walking toward her, weapon raised.

She truly believed, in that moment, that Weiss Schnee would kill her.

She sighed, letting her shaking hand drop her weapon when the Schnee was only a few feet away from her. Close enough to cut Ilia's head off.

Had it been worth it? Had years of pain and sacrifice been worth ending up here, dying to one of her greatest enemies on a pointless mission? All she had wanted was to let her parents' death mean something. She didn't want another Faunus to suffer what she had. In the end, she'd failed.

 _Just make it quick,_ she pleaded, closing her eyes.

"Hurry up." The sharp voice snapped Ilia's eyes open. Weiss Schnee was glaring at her, but her weapon was put away.

"W-what?" Ilia silently cursed the Schnee for making a fool of her. On the outside, she could only stare, slack jawed.

"We're heading up," the girl said. "Unless you want to stay down here and die in the crash."

She was . . . sparing Ilia? Even saving her? Why?

It had to be some false sense of honor. If the Schnee killed someone directly, she wouldn't be able to lie to herself any longer.

That had to be it. Ilia kept that thought in mind as she picked up her weapon and followed the girl out of the hatch at the top of the car.

 _I could stab her in the back right now,_ Ilia thought. She dismissed the thought as soon as she had it. The Schnee still had aura, while Ilia didn't. Besides, she would be prepared for Ilia to attack. It was only that foolish sense of honor that had kept her from killing Ilia, but even she surely wouldn't risk her life to help an enemy.

Or was it something else? This was Blake's teammate, after all. If she didn't know Blake was a Faunus, she could be helping Ilia as a supposed favor to Blake.

Blake. Ilia still couldn't bring herself to think about her. Blake was working with a _Schnee._ What had happened? Didn't Blake remember all the Schnees had done to victimize their race? Hadn't she cared about what she had done when leaving the White Fang? Hadn't she cared about how Ilia would feel?

No. Blake didn't know how Ilia felt. Ilia had been too much of a coward to tell her the truth. Just like she was too much of a coward to fight the Schnee to the death.

 _And accomplish what?_ she wondered. _Throwing my life away just so I could inconvenience a Schnee for a few seconds longer?_

Ilia shut her eyes when she poked her head out from the hatch and the air blew into her face. She opened them after, only to see blackness from both sides. The tunnel continued to stretch on in front of her, while behind her, hoards of Grimm ran to keep up with the train. Ilia couldn't help the gulp that escaped her upon seeing so many Grimm at once.

"Why?" She didn't realize she had spoken until the Schnee turned to face her.

"Why did you spare me?" Ilia continued. "Why didn't you leave me down there?"

The Schnee huffed. "Unlike you, I have morals." Ilia's blood boiled at that, but the girl continued. "And . . . Blake worked with you, didn't she?"

Ilia took a step backward. "What do you know about her?"

The heiress glared at her. "She's my teammate and friend. We've had each other's backs countless times. I know of her past, but I don't care. She taught me to see the better side of people, and to forgive. She would want me to give you a chance."

Where the hell had _that_ come from? Ilia was a terrorist, enemies with this girl's family for years! She had just tried to kill her! But since Blake _might_ want the Schnee to spare Ilia, she was risking herself to do so?

Her head spun. She could almost hear a buzzing above her. Or was it . . . creaking?

"What is that?" the Schnee asked. So Ilia wasn't just imagining it. She looked up, which let her see the roof of the tunnel bending. Her eyes widened, before the steel popped free, on a course to land directly on top of them.

"Weiss!" A high pitched shout earned Ilia's attention just in time for her to see a red blur. Before she could even register what had happened, both she and the Schnee had been moved a single car forward. Ilia winced at the sound of steel striking steel. The impact shook her bones long enough for her to watch the plated ceiling slide off the train and onto the track.

"Ruby!" the Schnee exclaimed. Ilia glanced right, then blinked at the caped girl standing between her and the heiress. Had she been the one to save them?

She pushed the question aside, knowing what was coming. It had only been a few seconds since the ceiling had been broken through, which was long enough for the Grimm to make its way down. Ilia grimaced when she saw what flew above them.

She had never seen a Griffon so large. Based on the plating covering nearly its entire body, it had to have been an Alpha. It had lived long enough to grow three times the size of a normal Griffon.

It flew above them, but despite never landing on the train itself, the Griffon managed to keep up with them. It's red eyes bore into Ilia, who was keenly aware of her lack of aura.

"Ruby!" another voice exclaimed. A blonde huntress climbed out of the train car Neo had been assigned to. Ruby ran over to her.

"We have a problem!" It was Blake's voice from behind them. Ilia whirled around to see Blake was pointing at the end of the tunnel. It was walled off, and it was approaching very, very quickly.

"Get close to—" the Schnee began. She never got to finish before the Griffon finally dove forward, aiming for her. Blue eyes widened, and her sword rose to deflect the incoming attack. Her teammates all fired shots from their weapons at the Griffon. It didn't look like it had even felt them. It only continued its charge at Weiss.

The closer it got, the larger it seemed to be. Ilia was beginning to wonder if she had underestimated its size. It looked nearly large enough to sweep them all off the train, had they all been standing on the same car.

Its aim was on the heiress, though, and the only one still standing on the same car was Ilia. Ruby had gone to help her sister, while Blake was one car behind.

Had either the Schnee or Ilia been in better shape, they both could have gotten off it time. As it was, their battle had left them both exhausted. They had raised their weapons, but not nearly fast enough. Ilia lost her breath as the Griffon collided with both of them, sending them flying off the train.

For a moment, Ilia felt a strange calmness wash over her as she hung there. Hundreds of Grimm stampeded behind them, but her thoughts felt almost muted.

The moment ended before she could even take a breath. She landed on a glyph, the wind once again knocked out of her.

The Schnee stood on a similar glyph beside her. She turned back around, as though to jump back on the train. She hadn't realized just how fast it was. Ilia saw her eyes once again widen at how far the train had gotten, before it finally reached its destination. An explosion shook the entire cave, making both of them throw their arms over their faces.

Ilia's ears rang, but her vision was clear. She fell to her knees, watching as debris flew throughout the tunnel. The moment seemed to last for eternity, before it finally died down.

The platform below her dropped so suddenly that she barely managed to land on her feet. She turned to glare at the Schnee, but stumbled back when she pushed past Ilia.

Ilia grabbed her arm a moment later. "What are you doing?" she shouted, since that was the only way she would be heard if the Schnee's ears were in a similar state to hers.

"Saving my friends!" was the response.

Ilia glanced back. The Grimm were almost on top of them. There were so many that Ilia couldn't even make out individuals, beyond the large ones such as Deathstalkers. All she could see was a black mass about to descend on them.

She had no choice. The Schnee was still stunned, so she wasn't prepared when Ilia yanked her into a crack in the tunnel, leading deeper into the cave. She tugged when she realized she was being dragged, but by that point, they were already pushing through. The Grimm rushed by the area they had once occupied, but none could fit through the crack to go after them.

The sound of the stampede was all Ilia could focus on. She swallowed at the sight of it blurring past them to bring death to Vale.

She shook the thought off, turning her attention to the other occupant of the narrow tunnel. The Schnee glared at her, but Ilia met it with her own glare. _You know as well as I do that moving out of here now would be suicide._

"I could have made it to them in time!" the spoiled girl snapped. "Why did you pull me in here?"

"Because you're wrong." Ilia said through gritted teeth. "Do you think I wanted to be stuck in here with you of all people? If we had tried to catch up, the Grimm would have gotten to us first. You're welcome for saving you, by the way."

The Schnee crossed her arms. "I didn't need saving! I wouldn't have gotten into this situation if I hadn't been so distracted by you in the first place!"

Ilia rolled her eyes. "A human blaming a Faunus for her problems. Typical."

"That's not—" She cut herself off with a sigh. "Forget it. We're stuck down here, and because of you, our only option is to go deeper into the cave." She craned her head around to stare at the path before them. She couldn't see the same thing as Ilia. The tunnel was small, leading into a more open area of the cave. Given enough time, they could find a way out.

"Trust me, I don't want to be stuck with you either," Ilia said. "Luckily for both of us, I'm not dumb enough to traverse Grimm territory alone."

The heiress scowled, then strutted forward. "Can we get moving? I need to get to Vale in time to help my team and everyone else contain this breach."

Ilia sighed, but followed after her.

After all she had done for the White Fang, how had she ended up here? The girl walking in front of her may have believed they could find a quick exit to Vale, but Ilia knew better. If there were any other entrances to Vale or the surrounding area, they would be just as sealed off as the entrance the train had blown apart. They would have to go much farther to find a way out.

Trapped in a cave full of Grimm with Weiss Schnee. This was not a good day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - More Than a Name**

* * *

Schnees didn't _whine_ , they spoke up. They didn't _trudge_ , they strode. The didn't _groan_ , they . . . Weiss didn't know what they did instead, but at the moment, she didn't care. Because she was ready to do all the things Schnees weren't supposed to do.

 _I never want to see a Grimm again,_ she thought, though she would never say those words out loud. Not with her forced partner behind her.

Ilia walked as though they were taking a stroll through the park. She didn't stumble over a single pebble, nor was she stiff with concern like Weiss. Being able to see in the dark must have been a blessing when you had to get through dark caves, slaughtering every Grimm you find, for hours.

Weiss supposed it could be worse. They had run into plenty of Grimm, but at least they mostly consisted of Creeps and Beowolves. As for the caves themselves, they were at least wide, and so far they hadn't encountered a dead end. Weiss just wished the only paths weren't leading them _away_ from Vale.

Ruby. Blake. Yang. Were they all okay? What about Vale? The Grimm were surely invading. Were the Huntsmen able to drive them back? Did any die? Did—

Weiss forced the thought away. Her friends were fine. Oobleck would have been on the train, and he would have called for backup. Vale was fine. Weiss had to keep telling herself that.

It was easier said than done. She needed a distraction, and that wasn't easy when they weren't fighting Grimm. There was one option, but . . . it wasn't appealing.

Weiss took it anyway. "You know Blake," she said. "How is that?"

Weiss felt, more than saw, Ilia jolt. Ilia didn't even try to hide her wariness when she spoke. "Why?" she asked.

"Blake is my friend and teammate," Weiss said, unable to keep indignation out of her voice. "I am fully justified in wanting to know more about my friend's past."

Ilia, whose footsteps had been silent before, all but stomped at that. "We worked together in the White Fang," she said. "Nothing more."

Even _Ruby_ would have been able to pick up that lie. Weiss rolled her eyes, but she didn't press the subject any further.

"Forget it," Weiss said instead. "We've walked for hours. We need to sleep," Weiss hated herself as she said it. The longer they slept, the longer it would take them to get to Vale.

Exhausting themselves would ensure they never got to Vale.

"Once we find a good spot, we'll stop," Weiss continued. Almost, she offered to track the best spot. Before Beacon, she would have.

Taking the lead hadn't gotten Ruby and her to the relics in the Emerald Forest. Trying to find a location to rest when Ilia had the superior vision in the dark caves would have been arrogance and nothing more. That didn't make admitting her weakness to a member of the White Fang any better.

"You lead," Weiss forced out.

Based on the soft snort Ilia gave, she had noticed Weiss' displeasure. Maybe that made her spiteful, or maybe she honestly meant it when she said, "We'll rest here."

" _What?_ " Weiss demanded before she could stop herself. She cringed after saying that, and immediately rushed to correct herself. "We need to find somewhere safer," Weiss said. "I don't want to be eaten by a Grimm while I sleep."

Ilia just sat down on the cave floor. "Did you think we wouldn't take watches? At least here we have room to fight if we get ambushed." She gestured at the tunnel they were currently in. It was almost the size of Beacon's cafeteria.

Weiss sighed, but refused to argue like a petty child. "I'll take first watch," she said, then strode away.

Working with this girl was going to be impossible.

* * *

Working with a Schnee was impossible.

It was seven hours after Ilia had settled down to rest. It hadn't taken long for her to find sleep; years of practice in the White Fang had helped with that. After four hours, the heiress had woken Ilia, then taken her own turn resting.

Ilia had to admit, she hadn't been expecting the Schnee to fall asleep so quickly. Ilia could see the steady rise and fall of her chest, even with the distance between them. Still, Weiss Schnee was a girl who lived in comfort. She had made that clear at her initial protests on sleeping in the wide tunnel. Had she expected them to find a five star resort underground or something?

At least she would be good in a fight. She had proven that the previous day. If Ilia had to put up with her temper until they escaped the tunnels, so be it. But they would never be friends.

A scratch in the darkness drew Ilia's attention. Her head snapped in the direction she had heard the noise from, but there was nothing there. Nothing but the sleeping girl. Had she imagined it?

Another noise, coming from the same spot. It might has well have been right next to the Schnee's head.

Ilia frowned. She wouldn't have missed movement, so where were the noises coming from? She stepped over to where the Schnee was sleeping, and peered over her to where the noise had come from.

It sounded again, except this time there was an echo to it, as though whatever had caused the scratching noise was hollow. That was when Ilia recognized the source of the noise.

"Move!" she shouted, picking up a surprised Schnee and leaping away just in time for a massive claw to burst through the ground. The echo rang through the cavern, making Ilia wince.

The creature pulled itself fully through the hole, unveiling its horror for them to see.

Upon first glance, it was a blob of flesh with a human-like mask at the front of it, similar to that of a Nuckelavee. Except the mask was more jagged, with a fire-like shape. Looking closer, Ilia could see the rows of white claws extending out of the entire Grimm's body. It could grow the claws, making them more hollow in the process.

It had already shown that its claws were sharp enough to break through the ground. Ilia didn't want to see what it could do to one of them. Being a blob of flesh, this Grimm had to hop to get around, which made it easy to dodge. But with claws coming from every angle, getting at that soft flesh was a ridiculous feat.

"A _Salire?_ " the Schnee blurted. Anything else she might have said was interrupted as one of the claws expanded, rushing at her. She rolled away at the last second, grabbing her sword in the process.

Ilia pulled out her own weapon. "If I keep its attention on me, can I trust you to find an opening?"

"Of course." She held her sword before her face.

That was all Ilia needed to hear. She lashed her whip at the creature's mask. At first, the action seemed to confuse it. The entire body rotated until the mask bore into Ilia.

Knowing what was coming, Ilia ran forward, jumping to dodge the first claw, then flipping over the second. Two more came at her, which she ducked, then leaned aside to dodge.

The onslaught paused as the creature analyzed her. It was only for a moment, during which Ilia backed away. Then, three claws shot forward, forming barriers to keep Ilia from dodging, while a fourth rushed at her.

Ilia swung at the fourth, slowing its trajectory. Two more swings, and it bended, so when it finally did reach her, she grabbed the claw, using the motion to leap up and on top of it.

It started retracting into the Salire before Ilia even landed. Her grip tightened, while the claw pulled her toward the Salire.

She flung forward when the Salire extended a second claw to knock her off. Upon landing, she swung at the claw she had bent earlier. Snapping it off was her best chance at exposing the flesh beneath.

"Look out!" a voice blurted suddenly, just as Ilia was thrown into the air by a black glyph. She looked down to see a claw ram through the air where her heart had been a moment ago.

Ilia spared the Schnee a nod before rushing back in. This time, she swung at the Salire itself. Not that she did any damage, with its multitude of claws serving as armor.

"Switch positions!" the Schnee called. Ilia looked her way, to see she was already moving. Given no other option, Ilia jumped back.

The heiress thrust her rapier forward the moment the tip turned red, striking the creature's mask. Ilia couldn't see the results at first, as the explosion covered the Salire from her view. When the last of the smoke dissipated, it looked as though no damage had been done.

The Schnee had attracted the creature's attention, though. A glyph pushed her away from the swipe of a claw. Once she was far enough, she shot icicles to keep the Salire distracted.

That left Ilia to find an opening. Easier said than done.

She swung at its back, only for her whip to be deflected by claws she could barely see. The Salire realized what they were doing, and let out a piercing screech. It took all of Ilia's endurance not to cover her ears.

Especially not when an opportunity presented itself.

"Get it to open its mouth again!" she shouted when the screech ended. Then, she ran forward, straight for the Salire's back. A claw extended her way, which she leaned sideways to avoid. Just as she was about to collide with mass, she jumped, spinning mid-air so she would still be facing the Salire when she landed.

Her eyes widened when a claw shot forward, in front of her face in an instant. Just when it was about to ram into her eye, a blast of ice slowed it down enough for her to get away.

 _That makes two times she's saved me from taking a bad hit,_ Ilia thought.

Another claw launched in the heiress' direction. She caught it on a glyph, lifting the creature into the air.

Ilia's eyes lit up, since she thought the bottom of the Grimm might be exposed. Seeing it tumble in the air, protected from _all_ directions, dashed those hopes.

 _Time for plan B, then._

Ilia leaped off the ground, straight for the imbalanced creature. With it distracted due to its plummet, no claws shot at Ilia. As she passed the Salire, she slammed her contracted whip into its mask. The force caused it to land with a crash.

Predictably, the Salire wasn't happy. It screeched once more. Ilia, meanwhile, had kept flying through the air, and now her feet touched the cave wall. She leaped off of it, barreling toward the Grimm again. It was still shrieking, mouth wide open.

Ilia's whip flew straight into its mouth, shocking it from the inside.

She was still moving, though. She spun in the air to land on her feet, but the movement caused the whip to retract. If she was alone, Ilia wouldn't have been able to attack again while the creature was still stunned.

She wasn't alone, though. The instant Ilia's whip fell out of the Salire's mouth, the Schnee flung her sword forward, piercing the Grimm's soft insides. It let out one last gurgle, before evaporating.

The Schnne grabbed her sword from the cloud of smoke. She was panting hard, but she still marched forward, toward Ilia.

"Are you alright?" the heiress asked.

Ilia scowled at the question. She didn't need the girl's fake sympathy.

"I'm fine," Ilia said, pushing past her.

Apparently, the Schnee didn't like that. "Well excuse me if I show care for my only ally down here!"

Ilia spun around to glare at her. She wanted to talk about _care_? Where were the Schnees' _care_ when Ilia's parents died in one of their dust mines? Where was their _care_ when thousands of Faunus suffered every day? Where was this girl's _care_ when her father _killed_ innocent Faunus?

"Shut up!" Ilia snapped. "You Schnees only care about yourselves, while the rest of us struggle to survive!"

The pompous heiress stomped forward until her face was directly in front of Ilia's.

"You say you're fighting for equal rights?" the Schnee hissed. "Then stop judging me because of my father! I am not him, I'm my own person! Weiss Schnee. I like coffee more than tea. I have a sister who I've missed at Beacon. I have teammates who constantly annoy me, yet I couldn't live without. I am not going to be written off as just another Schnee!"

What Weiss' posture couldn't do, her words did. Ilia lost her breath, and couldn't stop herself from looking away.

 _It's fake,_ she told herself. _She just wants me to trust her more, so she can feel safer in a fight._

"You helped lead Grimm into Vale," Weiss continued. "You're a member of a terrorist organization that executed people I cared about. I'm trying to look past that so we can _survive,_ but if you're not willing to do the same, that's going to be difficult."

The words hurt more than Weiss had intended. She didn't know Ilia's own doubts on the Breach. Seeing Blake try to stop it only made Ilia more conflicted.

 _Beacon is going to fall,_ Ilia thought. _Adam will make the humans pay._

 _Blake might die when he does._

Ilia shook her head, walking toward the next tunnel. "Come on," she said. "We might as well get today started. We have a long walk ahead of us."

The next few days would pass in silence beyond Grimm fights, leaving Ilia with only her thoughts to keep her busy.

* * *

Blake read the same page of her book for the tenth time. Once again, the words didn't register. There was too much going on in her mind for it to make room for them.

Blake winced at the sound of a sniffle from the other side of team RWBY's dorm room. Looking that way, she saw Ruby with her face buried in a pillow already damp with tears.

When Yang sent Blake an anguished look from the bunk above her, Blake shook her head. Ruby had screamed at Yang when she approached the previous night, an action so un- _Ruby_ that Blake was still shaken by it.

The sniffles became sobs, and each one tore into Blake's heart. And if Blake was feeling this way, Yang—

Yang practically flew off her top bunk, landing on Ruby's to wrap her arms around her sister. Unlike last time, Ruby didn't have the strength to scream. Instead, she wailed, squeezing Yang tight. Yang patted Ruby's back and whispered soothing words into her ear.

Blake knew Yang was putting up a front for her sister. She knew, because after Ruby had screamed at Yang, Yang and Blake had gone to JNPR's room, where Yang broke down crying on Blake's shoulder.

The Breach had been a major success. Ruby, Blake, and Yang had kept the Grimm back long enough for the professionals to show up, driving the remaining Grimm away. It should have been a cause for celebration.

They couldn't celebrate. Not when Weiss was dead.

The last time they had seen their teammate, she had fallen off a train into a Grimm hoard. That didn't stop them from spending torturous hours searching for her.

 _What are we going to do?_ Blake thought. Ozpin had excused them from a week of classes, but classes were the least of their problems right now.

Then there was the girl who had been with Weiss. Blake couldn't bring herself to tell her team she had recognized her old friend.

 _Ilia, why?_ she wondered. Surely she knew the attack on Vale wouldn't accomplish anything. Had Adam convinced her otherwise? Was she just as far gone as he?

Did it matter when she was dead?

Blake pulled herself from her bed. She nodded at Yang, then stepped outside the dorm. After a quick glance to see if anyone was nearby, she slumped against the wall, burying her head in her hands.

 _This is my fault,_ she thought. _It was my obsession with the White Fang that pushed the others into going on the mission. Then I ran again. I ran from Ilia. I should have stayed. I should have let Weiss fight Torchwick. I might have been able to talk Ilia down._

The alternatives she could have taken rushed into her head, taunting her. She almost screamed. She would have, had she been far enough from Ruby and Yang.

What could she do when it was her fault the team was falling apart?

 _Keep the team together. It's what Weiss would have wanted._ She shook her head at the thought. She couldn't do it. She just couldn't.

 _Do it anyway._

A memory came to Blake's mind. Weiss saying she didn't care about Blake's past, as long as she let them know when something was wrong. It didn't take long for Blake to break that promise. It had been Weiss to once again put a stop to that.

Blake stood, a glint of resolve in her eyes.

She had run away too much. It was time to stop running. For Weiss.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I tend to overthink my responses to reviews, so I'm going to be replying to them less. That said, reviews are a huge motivator for me, and I love reading them, so please keep them coming.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3** **— A Chance**

* * *

"That's the last of the food," Ilia said. "We don't have much water left, either."

Weiss sighed. She had known it would happen eventually. They were lucky Ilia kept some supplies on her in the first place.

"Well, we just have to keep moving," Weiss said. "If we find a way to the surface, we might be able to find food. I doubt we'll find anything with all the Grimm down here."

Ilia didn't respond, which made Weiss scowl. Ilia rarely communicated outside of fights, no matter how much Weiss tried. And she _did_ try. At first, she had asked about life in the White Fang. Then, she had tried to talk about their current situation. She had even tried small talk! She, Weiss Schnee, had tried making small talk with a Faunus of the White Fang.

Her Faunus companion was too stubborn, it seemed.

 _Ilia,_ Weiss thoughts. _That she is a Faunus, even that she's a member of the White Fang, doesn't matter. Blake had . . . something with her. She has to be better than the other criminals._

Weiss had to believe it, no matter how hard it was. And it _was_ hard, not to revert back to old habits. Ilia's presence was a constant reminder of Weiss' feud with the White Fang.

Weiss would keep trying. For her team's sake. Blake had shown her how to forget the past, to give even those she should hate a second chance. Blake had undone years of hate ingrained into Weiss by her father.

For her, Weiss would keep trying. And she would return to Beacon a better person for it.

First, she had to find food.

Weiss walked to where Ilia knelt by the few supplies they had. "Here," Weiss said. "Let me help."

Ilia narrowed her eyes, but made room regardless. Together, it didn't take long for them to put what little they had into Ilia's pack.

"There's no point in stopping to rest anymore," Ilia said as she stood. "We have a strict time limit now."

Weiss bit back an automatic response at the obvious statement. The last thing she needed was to aggravate Ilia.

"Let's get moving, then," Weiss said. She rose as well, and started walking. "If we're anywhere near one of the villages outside of Vale, we may be able to find an exit?"

"We will?" Ilia asked, following close behind Weiss.

Weiss nodded. "One of the plans for Mountain Glenn was for it to have tunnels leading into nearby villages. It would be another way for support to reach the villages when Vale couldn't send Huntsmen to in time. They closed off the tunnels, but we might be able to force them open."

"Do you want to show off more of what you know?" Ilia snarked.

" _Oooh, look at me! My name's Weiss! I know facts! I'm rich!"_

Weiss snickered at the memory invoked by Ilia's comment.

Ilia glared at her. "What's so funny?"

"What you just said reminded me of one of my teammates." Weiss said. The smile that had been on her face vanished. "I was she was here," she muttered.

Ruby would have found a way out. Not because she was an expert on navigation. She just had an infectious sort of energy that would last no matter how dire the circumstance. Even if Weiss had wanted to give up, Ruby wouldn't have let her.

"You really care about her, don't you?" The question from Ilia brought Weiss out of her daze. She had a small frown on her face, and was staring at Weiss with her head slightly tilted.

"Of course I do," Weiss said, turning into another tunnel when it was clear there weren't any Grimm in it. "I care for all of them. Ruby, Blake, Yang . . . I miss them more than anything."

Ilia bit her lip and glanced away. Expecting more silence, Weiss turned away from her, focused on getting through the tunnels.

When Ilia spoke again, Weiss almost froze.

"What was Blake like? At Beacon."

Weiss didn't turn to face Ilia. Not because she was ignoring the question, but because she didn't want Ilia to see the dumb look on her face.

Ilia was actually asking about anything related to Beacon? Weiss supposed her curiosity on Blake would be the only thing that pushed her to talk to Weiss, but why now?

Weiss pushed the thought aside to answer Ilia's question. "Blake was one of the most hardworking individuals I've ever known," she said truthfully. "At first, it was her schoolwork. Her grades nearly matched my own, and she might have been the only person besides me to stay awake in Professor Port's class."

Weiss smiled at the memories. "We had our issues at first. I had a stubborn viewpoint, and she couldn't reconcile with her past. She ran away, and I was angry at first. But I had time, and I thought about our fight from her perspective."

She chuckled. "When we found her, I told her I didn't care about her past, and that was it. Nevermind what I had said, I was a Schnee, so I didn't need to apologize. It didn't matter that I outright said I didn't trust the Faunus. We were team RWBY, and we could put all of that behind us."

Weiss knew her tone had turned bitter, but she couldn't stop herself. "I never told Blake I was sorry for what I said. I was too stubborn, too focused on my Schnee pride, to say it." She sighed. "I tried to make it right. I changed my views on the Faunus. I tried to look after Blake when she hurt herself going after the White Fang.

"I don't know if that made it right . . . but this isn't about me." Weiss' face twisted into a sour expression. "The point is, when we put all that behind us, Blake decided to go after the White Fang herself. Her grades were abominable because she stayed up all night researching them. I respected her drive, but I was afraid for her."

They turned into another tunnel, this one full of Creeps. Weiss formed a gravity glyph behind her, and jumped onto it. Then, she launched herself forward, into the center of the group. She slammed her sword down, forming a wall of ice spikes to kill them all.

"It was Yang who got her to come to the dance and relax," Weiss said as she sheathed her sword. "I still don't understand Yang. She describes herself as a free spirit, but she's always looking out for us at the same time. Her attitude is an enigma that I don't think I'll ever understand."

The dance. It had only been a week ago, yet it felt like a lifetime. After all that had happened in Mountain Glenn, then days spent underground, Weiss couldn't imagine her biggest worry being getting a cute boy to accompany her to the dance.

That was all Neptune had been, really. A cute boy who didn't just like at her as a Schnee. He had been a chance for Weiss to be normal, to have a school girl crush. When she made it back to Beacon, would she be able to return to such simple pursuits?

"I love Blake," Weiss said, not noticing Ilia stiffen. "I love Ruby and Yang, too. They're my team. And I _will_ get out of here so I can see them again." She smirked. "I might even hug Zwei before hugging them, just to tease them."

"Zwei?" Weiss smiled at the confusion in lia's voice. They ran into two paths, and Weiss chose the left one. There wasn't much she could do other than guess.

"Ruby and Yang's dog," Weiss said. "And yes, Blake hates him. How she can't adore such an beautiful little boy, I'll never get."

"I take it you like dogs?" Ilia asked, sounding far too amused.

" _Like_ them?" Ilia might as well have asked if Weiss liked breathing. She folded her hands together. "I've loved them since I was a kid. Ever since—" Her mouth snapped shut.

"Ever since?" Ilia prodded.

Weiss' eyes found the cave floor. "When I was little, my father assigned personal bodyguards to me. One of them had a dog, a dalmatian named Snow, who I loved to play with."

Weiss took a deep breath. She was already opening up to this girl too much. Schnees couldn't show vulnerability. If they did, they would be torn apart. Their enemies, even those they called friends, wouldn't hesitate to ruin them, out of pettiness or out of greed.

 _What would Ruby say to that?_

Weiss knew the answer, and spoke. "One day, when I was 7, my father ordered me to accompany him to Atlas Academy, to gain a greater understanding of our company's dealings with Huntsmen. Aurum was assigned to protect me. He knew how stressed I was about the whole thing, so he brought Snow to calm me down."

Weiss told herself that her shudder was because of the cold cave air. "A group of White Fang attacked our limo. I tried to run, and got separated from Aurum. I got cornered in an alleyway, where one of them drew a weapon on me."

Closing her eyes, Weiss was back there. Cowering, eyes wide, waiting for the pain that would come when a bullet struck her. The pain that had never come.

"Aurum saw, but he didn't get to me fast enough. It was _Snow_ who saved me, biting down on the man's leg, giving Aurum time to detain him."

Realizing she had stopped walking, Weiss resumed her footsteps. It had been long enough for Ilia to notice, and Weiss could feel the tension in the room.

"Sorry," Weiss whispered. "I shouldn't have brought up the White Fang."

When Ilia didn't respond, Weiss wondered if she had fallen behind. Glancing back, Weiss saw Ilia tiptoeing behind her, lost in thought. Weiss frowned seeing her. What had Weiss said to provoke this reaction?

"What happened to the dog?" Ilia finally asked. Weiss had to turn away at the question.

"My father fired Aurum for letting me _almost_ get hurt," Weiss spat. "I never saw him or Snow again."

To anyone else, it would have seemed insignificant, such a minor problem in the grand scheme of things. But for Weiss, who'd had few companions as a kid, having Snow to turn to for comfort had kept her sane some days. Then, for her to never see two of her closest friends because they had _saved_ her . . . it had been that day Weiss had realized she would never be able to make friends.

Only to be proven wrong years later.

Weiss shook her head to dispel the thoughts. "Let's pick up the pace," she said. "I don't know if I can spend another full day down here."

* * *

Ilia nodded at Weiss' words, despite the heiress being turned away from her. Weiss hadn't exactly given her a sob story, but she had still shown Ilia a side of a Schnee that she had never seen before. A human side, and not in a way that separated them from Faunus.

Weiss cared for her team. She missed the dog she played with as a little girl. How could either of those concepts be associated with the image of a spoiled brat who got whatever she wanted at the expense of Faunus?

Could Weiss actually be different? It shouldn't have been possible, but they _had_ spent days together, and Ilia hadn't heard one racist comment. Then there was the fact that Blake had gotten close to Weiss. Even if she had left the White Fang, Blake would never befriend a Schnee unless she had been truly impressed by her.

It might have just been wishful thinking on Ilia's part, but if Weiss really was different . . .

"Weiss," Ilia sound, prompting the heiress to turn around with a questioning look.

"Why don't you hate me?" Ilia asked. "I'm a member of the organization at war with your family. I personally tried to kill you. Yet you've been trying to make peace the entire time we've been down here."

The silence that followed Ilia's question had her shuffling her feet. Weiss was clearly thinking about how to phrase her answer, but just how complicated was it?

"I didn't like my team at first," Weiss admitted, and the sheer pain in her voice showed how much regret she was harboring. "A hyper kid in over her head, a brooding bookworm with disrespect for my family's company, and a party animal who would always take her sister's side. I had to push my _disgust_ down around them." She spat the word like it was a slur.

Weiss clenched her fists hard enough for her nails to bite into her skin. "I fought Ruby for team leadership, going to one of the professors to complain." She blurted out the next words as though rushing to explain herself. "I didn't think she was qualified, and I was still fresh to the world outside my family's manor. I couldn't imagine following a kid I had no respect for as a leader."

Just as Ilia was getting worried Weiss would start to deplete her aura, she relaxed her hands. "My professor showed me how foolish I was acting, and he said to be not the best leader, but the best person I could be.

"That was when I realized what I had done. I was so used to pushing people away, that I wasn't giving my team the chance they deserved. I was going to lead myself further down the path to isolation I hated so much. I decided then that I couldn't be the same Weiss Schnee that had entered Beacon. I had to change. By doing so, I made the best friends I could ever have. I can't imagine life without them."

Weiss met Ilia's gaze, and Ilia's heart rate spiked at seeing _tears_ in her eyes. "After losing Snow, I had no one. I can't go through that again."

Weiss wiped away the tears, turning away from Ilia. "You want to know why I'm giving you a chance? I gave three people a chance who I never would have in any other circumstance, and it proved to be the best decision I ever made. I want to give that to you as well." She exhaled deeply. "And I hope you'll do the same for me."

Ilia stared at the girl practically pouring her heart out. A chance. That was what Weiss wanted, and what she was willing to give. Not for any greed, but because she believed it was the right thing to do.

Who _was_ this girl, to grow up as a Schnee and turn out this way? Just looking at her still made every aggressive instinct Ilia had _scream_ at her to attack. Years of hate were telling her one thing, while Weiss' words were telling her another.

But wasn't that a point? Wasn't putting aside their pasts exactly what Weiss wanted? If it was anyone else, Ilia would have given in by now. The only reason she hadn't was because Weiss was a Schnee. Could Ilia still preach about human scorn while she refused to let herself near someone only because of their name?

Ilia held out her hand before she could think about it any more. "A chance," she said. "I can try."

Weiss eyed the hand for a moment.

Then shook it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 — Cause**

* * *

Ilia and Weiss walked in silence, but it wasn't the tense silence of before. This silence didn't scream its presence. Breaking it didn't threaten to spark an argument. They were silent because they didn't need to talk, not because they couldn't think of anything to say.

It was still silence, though. They would hear any Grimm approach, any underground streams, and most importantly, any people.

That was what let them hear the explosion. It was almost silent, muted by the many cave walls. Ilia wondered if she had imagined it, but a look at Weiss told her otherwise. The heiress was frowning, her gaze centered on the direction the sound had come from.

Ilia opened her mouth to clarify what they had heard, when a distant shout interrupted her.

"— _trying—killed?"_

"You heard that, right?" Weiss whispered.

Ilia nodded her response. Looking into Weiss' eyes, she could see the glimmer of hope there. It was that which let Ilia smile, a warm feeling rising in her chest.

People. Civilization. A way out of the tunnels they had been trapped in for so long. Ilia didn't even think of why there were people in tunnels long abandoned. It didn't matter, not when she and Weiss could finally be _free_.

They glanced at each other, silent communication passing between them. A second later, they took off sprinting.

All traces of exhaustion vanished, and were replaced with a spark that raced through her entire body. The cave walls blurred past her, and any Grimm that dared stand in her way were destroyed. Neither she nor Weiss stumbled, despite how many pebbles littered the floor. Their feet weren't touching the ground long enough for them to have a _chance_ to stumble.

Another shout echoed through the cavern, this one sounding closer than the last. With that, any fear Ilia might have had of not being able to find the people dissipated. Her pace increased until she was moving so fast, she sped _past_ a few Grimm.

She could hear people. She'd made it! She was actually going to go to the surface! She was—

She was falling.

The tunnel ended, leading into a large cavern. More specifically, the top of a cavern reaching over thirty feet into the air, with no ground to give her warning until she was already falling to the bottom.

She caught movement, but the person was too distracted to notice her. Tucking her legs into her chest, she rolled forward in the air, pulling out her whip at the same time. Once positioned, she flung the whip forward, wrapping it around the thin center of a pillar. She spun around the pillar once, before flipping as she disengaged her whip, landing behind the pillar.

Safe behind cover, Ilia looked up. Weiss had fallen as well, but caught herself on a glyph half-way, safely making the rest of the jump down and next to Ilia.

"Did you hear that?" Both Weiss and Ilia stiffened at the masculine voice on the other side of the pillar. They had both been trained to assess a situation, rather than risk revealing themselves to hostile forces. And it _was_ odd that there were people in the tunnels at all.

"What?" There was a shuffling movement as someone else turned around. "I don't see anything," said another male.

"It came from back there," the first voice said. "Go check it out."

The second person sighed. "You and your paranoia." Footsteps echoed throughout the cavern as he started walking toward them.

Ilia's eyes widened, and behind her, Weiss was in a similar state. Putting a finger over her lip, Ilia forced the smaller girl against the pillar, then blocked her body with her own. She changed colors, blending in with the darkness while Weiss pressed her arm against Ilia's back, making herself as small as possible.

 _Don't look too carefully,_ Ilia prayed. _See that there's nothing here, and move on._

Why _would_ someone be down here? Were they after a Grimm? Maybe they were trying to _capture_ Grimm? Hopefully, it would be far less nefarious. If they were Huntsmen, Ilia and Weiss would have no reason to hide.

That was the thought in Ilia's mind when the man rounded the corner, staring face to face with her. Ilia had to keep herself from reeling back, or worse, making a noise in shock.

The man in front of her wore a Grimm mask.

 _White Fang. What are they doing here? Adam never told me he planned to send men down here!_

The thought that they were looking for her passed through her mind. She dismissed it immediately. Adam was never one to dwell on losses. He would accept the loss of a powerful member, and make sure to put more training on the recruits to make up for it. He wouldn't even think of looking for Ilia.

But then, why were there White Fang here?

"I don't see anything," the White Fang member said. With Ilia's disguise working, all he saw was an odd looking, but unremarkable, extension to the pillar. He turned around to walk back to his companion.

"Let's check on the others," he said. "Adam will have our heads if we're not ready by the Vytal Festival."

Ilia waited until their footsteps faded before sighing in relief. She turned back to her normal colors, pressing herself against the pillar just in case.

"The White Fang," Weiss hissed from beside her. "What are they doing here?"

"I don't know," Ilia whispered back. "Our plans beyond Mountain Glenn never involved returning underground." Ilia realized what she said a moment later, and winced.

"Your plans _beyond_ Mountain Glenn?" Weiss sounded as if she could barely keep herself from shouting. "The breach on Vale wasn't your objective?"

Ilia glanced away. The attack on Vale had been only a distraction. It was fuel for the contempt against Ozpin. Contempt that would attract the Grimm, causing the fall of Beacon.

The temperature seemed to drop as Ilia looked up, seeing Weiss' narrowed eyes. "What were you planning?" the heiress demanded.

Faced with Weiss' cold anger, Ilia didn't even think about lying. "Adam," she choked out. "He . . . was working with a human, t-to make Beacon fall."

Weiss' eyes widened, and Ilia had to throw her hand over Weiss' mouth before she could shout. That only made Weiss glare at her, and Ilia dropped her hand, but rushed to explain.

"The Breach was to build negative emotions for the Vytal Festival. During the singles, the human Adam is working with will cause the matches to end in tragedies, making the emotions severe enough that Grimm will invade Vale. The White Fang will strike at the same time. That's _Adam's_ plan." She stressed Adam's name, as if that would make Weiss any less furious at her.

Weiss' hand fell to Myrtenaster. "You . . . you _knew_ about this? You _helped them_? " She all but growled the next words. "I thought you were better than them, but you're just as much of a monster."

"I didn't want this!" Ilia snapped. "I was supposed to stay in Menagerie. I didn't want to get involved!"

"Yet you still were willing to work with them, even knowing what would happen."

She had. Thinking about the Fall made her stomach churn, but Adam had said it would divide humans, while bringing Faunus together under the White Fang. The lives lost, even those of Faunus, would be worth the gain . . . wouldn't they?

What could Ilia say? Schnee or not, Weiss had still given Ilia a chance, something no human had ever done. Yet Ilia had kept such a large secret from her. She couldn't have risked jeopardizing the White Fang's plans by telling Weiss the truth, but she had a feeling Weiss wouldn't accept that.

In the end, all Ilia could do was fall back on old tactics. She glared at the Schnee.

"Humans have left me and too many other Faunus with nothing," Ilia snarled. "The White Fang is all I have left. I may not agree with all they do, but that won't stop me from fighting for what is right."

"And _this_ is right?" Weiss challenged.

 _No,_ Ilia thought.

"Maybe," she said with a shrug. "Like I said, I don't know what Adam's planning down here. If this helps the Faunus, then it's right."

"I-I can't believe you'd . . . argh!" Weiss threw her hands up and stomped a few feet away from Ilia.

"And where are you going?" Ilia drawled.

Weiss whirled around so fast, she nearly fell over. "Your White Fang friends are right there. You might as well go back to being a filthy terrorist, if that's what you really want. With them here, an exit has to be near. I can handle myself from now on."

Filthy. Just like all Faunus were filthy to the humans. Ilia didn't even give her a response. The Schnee didn't deserve one.

Ilia spun around, blending in with the cave and walking away.

* * *

Betrayal. It was a concept Schnees were familiar with, though they were usually the ones doing the betraying. Schnees never got close to anyone, so they couldn't be betrayed. The walls they put up protected what little happiness they had. With them, a Schnee would never be vulnerable.

Weiss had lowered those walls, for an active member of the White Fang, no less. She should have known it would lead to this. Did she think Ilia would stop being a terrorist because a Schnee had talked to her? Of course not. The White Fang cared for no one but themselves.

Weiss told herself that. She pouted, fumed, and let her blood boil as much as it could. That rage gave her power. It was better than exposing her true emotions. It was better than letting herself realize just how much Ilia had hurt her.

How long had she known Ilia for? Barely more than a week, and they had rarely talked to each other in that time. Yet Weiss had opened up to her more than she had with her own _teammates._ It was easy to when she wasn't sure she would see anyone else ever again.

More importantly, she had so badly wanted to trust Ilia. By giving her a chance, and receiving the same in return, she had proved her father wrong. She had proved the war between her family and the Faunus didn't have to go on. If the Schnne heiress could make friends with not one, but _two_ White Fang members, one of whom was still active when they had met, why did the rest of her family have to be targets?

She had told Ilia that her bodyguard, Aurum, was fired. That was true. What Weiss _hadn't_ told Ilia was that out of the Schnee's protection, the White Fang had murdered him for saving Weiss.

So many family members, so many board members, even some potential _friends,_ all executed. It was foolish of Weiss to think she could end such pain through kindness. A Schnee accomplished nothing through being _kind_. They walked over anyone who stood in their way, making themselves too valuable to touch.

Weiss had given Ilia a chance, and in return, Ilia had kept _this_ from Weiss. A plot to destroy Beacon, to divide the world, to cause untold deaths. Ilia knew, she had _helped_ , no matter what she said. And despite Weiss leaving herself vulnerable for Ilia, revealing parts of her past she had never wanted to, Ilia hadn't even had the decency to tell Weiss her friends may die.

Weiss hated this feeling. _Vulnerable._ Ilia hadn't even realized how much effort it took Weiss to put herself in this state, where Ilia could hurt her so much. Now, she felt more vulnerable than ever, like she would break down at the first sight of a friendly face.

She didn't want to think about what she'd do when facing one that wasn't friendly.

There was a light ahead. Weiss stalked toward it, wanting to just go home. Her skirt was covered in dirt, her hair was a bird's nest, and her skin was full of nicks still healing from fights with Grimm. To say nothing of how much her feet were killing her after walking in heels for so long.

If she could slip by the White Fang, she could find where they came from, and put this whole nightmare behind her. Ilia would be nothing more than a distant memory.

The light turned out to be from a dust lamp. There was a snarling Faunus holding it, reprimanding the cowering White Fang member before him. Unlike the echoing shout that had attracted Weiss to the area, he was hissing his words, practically spitting them in the grunt's face.

Not that far away was a crater in the ground. Even from a distance, Weiss recognized the patterns of the scorch marks in the ground. They marked an explosion caused by dust. She could fill in the rest on what had happened on her own.

The surrounding area contained steel crates large enough to contain a car. Even then, the crates shook as something bucked against the interior. The White Fang grunts guarding the crates leaned away from them, hands on their weapons.

 _Are they capturing_ Grimm? Ilia had mentioned the White Fang would attack Beacon. Releasing Grimm into the school would cause untold destruction.

After a quick scan, Weiss counted nearly three dozen White Fang soldiers, all near one crate or another. The one who had been reprimanding a grunt looked to be a lieutenant, taller and bulkier than the rest of them.

Her head darted from side to side, but there were no White Fang members looking her way. Knowing that wouldn't last long, Weiss launched herself off a gravity glyph, landing in a roll behind one of the crates. Snarling came from within, confirming that there were Grimm inside. It sounded like a Beowolf, yet . . . different, somehow. The noise was deeper, yet scratchier at the same time.

No time to dwell on that. She peered out of the crate, seeing that the coast was clear again. The next create was farther away than she would have liked, but if Weiss could keep the White Fang's attention off of her . . .

The glyph formed behind her. A white glyph, with four swords sprouting from the center. It spun rapidly as Weiss put more power into it. If there was any time for it to work, that would be now.

Or not, for the glyph slowed down, before dying out entirely. Weiss let out a bitter sigh. She was on her own.

Her only choice was to take the risk. She launched herself off another glyph, forming a second one in the air to increase her propulsion. A final glyph formed on top of the crate, which Weiss landed on as not to make any noise.

Weiss lied on her stomach, hoping that her lessons stating people rarely thought to look up when searching an area would prove right. Up here, she could at least get a better idea of what was going on.

"We got another one!" a voice called from the direction Weiss had come from. Weiss hated the sinking feeling in her chest. They weren't talking about Ilia, and even if they were, why should Weiss care? Ilia would be returning to them soon anyway.

The woman came closer, with her and three other White Fang members taking hold of one corner of a cage. Inside was a Grimm.

Weiss gasped at the sight of it.

At first, it looked like any normal Creek. Upon closer sight, it was anything but. Its normally white scales were _green_ , and a green gas oozed from it.

"This thing nearly exploded on me," one of the grunts carrying the cage complained. "Why are we the ones who have to collect that human's creations from down here?"

The lieutenant Weiss had seen earlier walked up to the man and smacked him on the back of the head. "Quit your whining," he ordered. "Adam believes the human's work will help our cause, so we'll collect as many as we have to. If I have to keep you lot down here till the festival, then so be it."

Work? That was what they were calling that . . . _thing_? The White Fang were experimenting on _Grimm_? Weiss shuddered. Normal Grimm were bad enough, but how deadly would they be with the White Fang controlling them? Weiss' stomach churned at the possibilities that came to mind.

 _I can't sneak away now,_ she realized. _If I do, the White Fang will get away with what they're planning. If this is how they're planning to bring down Beacon, I can stop it here._

That in mind, Weiss stood, holding Myrtenaster before her. The dust inside spun, until settling on fire. In her other hand, a small, red glyph formed.

She would have to make this quick. The moment she launched the first blast of fire, the White Fang would know of her presence. If she struck every crate, releasing the Grimm inside, she would cause enough panic to bring down the operation. In the chaos, she would escape.

She squinted, trying to calculate the best spot to fire at.

"Well, well, well," the deep voice came from directly behind Weiss. She began to turn around, sword raised, only for a sharp force to strike her side, launching her off the crate. She flew down, landing on the bumpy floor and rolling sideways.

Her momentum halted when a foot stomped on her stomach, causing her to grunt in pain. When she looked up, she saw it was the lieutenant keeping her pinned, his masked face sneering down at her. Based on the drill he was holding, he had been the one to launch Weiss off the crate. How had he caught up to her so fast?

Footsteps signaled the approach of the White Fang. They surrounded her, whispering among themselves. Weiss could see the smirks on their faces.

She reached for Myrtenaster, which had landed a few feet away for her, only for another foot to kick it away. Weiss tried to summon a glyph without dust, when the lieutenant took his foot off her stomach long enough to kick the left side of her face. Her scar screamed in agony.

The lieutenant signalled for two of his men to grab Weiss, one arm each. They lifted her up so she had no choice but to face the lieutenant.

The look he gave her was deadly.

"Never thought I'd get to kill an already dead Schnee."

* * *

"See anything?" the White Fang member asked his companions.

"Nah," a woman responded. "You would think a place like this would be crawling with Grimm."

"Maybe the freak's Grimm chased them out," a third member said. "Why the hell did that Merlot guy release Grimm down here, anyway?"

"You actually bothered to remember his name?" the woman asked. The only response she got was a grunt.

Behind the group, Ilia frowned. The White Fang were down here to collect some special type of Grimm? Why would Adam make such a risky alteration to the plan?

Ilia couldn't stop bile from rising in her throat at what she had listened to. These members had seen some of the altered Grimm, and discussed them among each other. There were Beowolf's with the resilience of a Beringle, Deathstalkers with the strength of multiple trained Huntsmen, and Creeps that even when defeated, would explode.

The White Fang had never been afraid to take advantage of Grimm. They were a natural part of the world, a threat everyone knew of. Of course the White Fang's attacks would inevitably attract Grimm. It had never mattered, as long as they got their message across.

But . . . this? Purposely giving more power to mankind's greatest threat? What would that mean for the future?

Adam had never been one to let a resource go to waste, especially not after it got him results. These Grimm wouldn't just be used on making Beacon fall. Adam would want to unleash them in future White Fang attacks. But if those Grimm didn't die . . . what would that mean to nearby civilizations?

Those Grimm would have no connection to the White Fang after the initial attack. They would slaughter innocent humans and Faunus alike, with no gain for the White Fang.

That didn't make sense. Everything they did was in the benefit of the White Fang.

Wasn't it?

"Ah, crap," one of the men said. "We have a code blue back at camp."

"Code blue?" the woman asked. "A huntress?"

Ilia's blood ran cold.

"Seems like it," came the response. "Come on, let's head back."

The group ran right by a wide eyed Ilia, failing to notice her camouflage. She let them go, her feet rooted to the ground.

Weiss. She was in danger. She was going to _die_.

Why did Ilia care? Weiss was racist. She was just another judgemental Schnee. She deserved the fate the White Fang had planned for her.

" _I love Blake. I love Ruby and Yang, too. They're my team. And I_ will _get out of here so I can see them again."_

" _I gave three people a chance who I never would have in any other circumstance, and it proved to be the best decision I ever made. I want to give that to you as well. And I hope you'll do the same for me."_

 _Damn it._ Ilia's feet carried her after the White Fang, at the same moment she pulled out and extended her whip.

 _What am I doing? Going against my brethren to help a Schnee? How can I call myself loyal to the cause if I do this?_

The cause. What was it, at this point? Equality? Maybe Adam still saw it that way, maybe not. The humans he was working with? The one crazy enough to experiment on Grimm? Equality was the last thing on their minds.

 _No turning back from this,_ Ilia told herself, as if it mattered that point. Her decision had already been made.

It was time for her to save a Schnee.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5** **—** **Fighting For You**

* * *

 _I'm doomed._

The thought flashed through Weiss' mind, which she stubbornly squashed. Schnees didn't accept defeat. Neither did Huntresses. They fought until their last breath, and Weiss would do just that.

Her eyes drifted toward Myrtenaster, which was being held by one of the White Fang. Weiss scowled at how he was holding it, while also feeling hope rise in her chest.

Weiss wasn't Pyrrha. She couldn't disarm an enemy with a thought. But the Schnee semblance was one of the most versatile semblances on Remnant. If the user was creative enough, they would never run out of new tricks.

Without dust, Weiss could only use her most basic glyphs. If she could just use one to push Myrtenaster forward . . .

Her vision of the blade was cut off, on account of the spinning drill shoved in front of her face. The lieutenant brought it closer, sneering. The weapon was attached to a gauntlet, with the drill itself extending out. That was all Weiss could tell from a glance.

"Nothing to say?" the lieutenant asked. "Tch. Very well, then."

Weiss held her breath, even as the drill came closer to her face. Any closer, and it would pull out her eye.

 _Now!_

Weiss yanked her elbow back, forcing it into the chest of one of the grunts holding her. He was forced back a step, into the glyph Weiss had formed beneath him. It pushed him back, just enough for Weiss to yank her arm free of his grip.

The moment she could move, she slammed her fist into the other grunt's stomach. He gasped, releasing her.

"You bitch!" the lieutenant yelled, stabbing his drill forward. Weiss ducked under it, forming another glyph on the hilt of Myrtenaster.

As she had seen, the man holding her weapon hadn't gripped it properly. The push forward from Weiss' glyph was all it needed to fall from his grasp.

Weiss rolled under a sword from a charging White Fang member. The roll carried her to her sword, which she re-claimed on her way up.

It was barely enough. Her sword snapped up just in time to block the lieutenant's drill. The noise of metal clanging against metal was enough to spur the remaining White Fang into action. They charged at Weiss, swords rasping against their sheathes.

Given no other option, Weiss moved to meet them. Her feet lurched as she did so, reminding her just how exhausted she was. On a normal day, she could take on a crowd of White Fang soldiers without a problem. Now, though, and with a lieutenant supporting them?

This would be a challenge.

Fire burst from Myrtenaster, catching a clutter of White Fang members and throwing them off their feet. In the same motion, Weiss spun, swinging at a soldier that had approached her. When she heard the lieutenant's drill behind her, she summoned a glyph to raise her into the air.

She jumped from the glyph, hitting the lieutenant with a barrage of strikes on her way down. His drill bounced from spot to spot, blocking each hit.

When Weiss landed, that drill came straight for her, too fast to block. Instead, she slammed Myrtenaster down.

The ice wall that formed blocked off the White Fang members that had gotten near, along with freezing the lieutenant's legs. The snare slowed him long enough for Weiss to lean away from his weapon. He shouted, swinging the drill at her.

When Weiss blocked, her weapon nearly flung out of her grasp. She gasped, stepping back until she realized the ice wall was already disappearing. A White Fang member charged from directly behind her, while another came from her right side. She made to swing at both, but while she struck the first one, the second's sword reached her back before she could stop him. She was knocked off her feet, sprawling onto her hands and knees.

That drill was descending on her again. Weiss dropped from her knees, rolling onto her back in the same movement. The position let her block the drill, but forcing it back with Myrtenaster took all her energy, leaving her helpless. The White Fang took advantage at that, charging at her once more.

It left them in the perfect position for Weiss' next move. She summoned a glyph at her feet, which launched her prone form at them. She slid under their legs, ice expelling out of her sword to trip them. She finally stopped when she collided with a crate, shaking it and causing growls to come from the inside.

Being a human missile wasn't exactly _fun_ , especially in her state. She made to hold her head, but jerked away with a gasp, barely dodging the White Fang member's bullet. She sent an icicle to spear through his face, taking him out of the fight.

With no one else near, Weiss' attention fell on the lieutenant. His drill had _shot out_ of the gauntlet, propelled by gravity dust to pierce the crate next to Weiss. More use of gravity dust pulled him to her in an instant. She had to drop to avoid his punch.

 _He must have a semblance to handle such motions. If I run, he won't have any trouble chasing after me._

On the ground, she stabbed Myrtenaster upward, hoping to catch him mid flight, but he twisted out of the way before her attack could connect. His drill snapped of the crate, returning to its gauntlet. He stabbed at her the moment he could, only missing because Weiss blew ice in his face. She took the chance to roll away.

It was too much. Even if she could beat the lieutenant, she still had a dozen White Fang members left to fight. They had adapted, spreading out to she couldn't hit them all at once. Those who had guns adjusted their aim, cautious of hitting their leader.

She shifted the dust cartridge in Myrtenaster. Would her body, as it was now, be able to handle the glyph she planned to use?

There was only one way to find out.

Time slowed, the soldiers brave enough to run toward her moving at a snail's pace. More glyphs filled the air, surrounding the circle they had formed.

Weiss flew. The trail of glyphs let her soar in an arc, like Yang during Bumblebee. She was once again a missile, but with her sword held above her horizontal body, she was far more deadly.

They didn't even stand a chance. To them, they would have been fine one moment. The next, each would have a cut as Weiss completed her first circle around them. They would just begin to react as she completed her second circle, hitting them all once more. Her third circle was enough to put them down.

Now would be the hard part. Pain shot through her body, enough for her to scream. Every glyph vanished, causing her to land face first on the floor. She skidded along the ground, cuts digging into her skin.

 _That used up my entire aura reserve._

She groaned in pain. Any attempts to move made her body shake and tears well up in her eyes. She tried finding one last burst of aura, knowing the effort was pointless. If she was lucky, she would be able to move within the next hour.

A chuckle came from behind her. "Thanks for making this easy, princess. I'm going to enjoy what comes next."

 _No!_ Weiss squeezed her eyes shut, feeling sweat drip down her forehead. Most of the White Fang had fallen to her attack, but the lieutenant had aura, and more than Weiss had counted on. Her strikes would have hurt, but he would have had no trouble tanking them until she collapsed from exhaustion.

The drill spun behind her, and she could feel it getting closer. Did he mean to stab it through her back while she lay helpless?

Weiss tried to roll, or even just turn around. But time dilation wasn't always kind on its user, and her body had to recover from the strain she had put on it. She was effectively paralyzed.

"Goodnight, Schnee," the lieutenant growled, and Weiss braced herself for the agony to come.

It never did. The lieutenant _shrieked_ , before a thud sounded behind Weiss.

Even then, Weiss held her breath in anticipation. When it was clear she wasn't dead, she slowly creaked an eye open.

Ilia was crouched before her, eyes meeting Weiss'.

"I-Ilia?" Weiss managed. She made to say more, but Ilia spoke before she could find her breath.

"I'm sorry," Ilia said. With that, any words Weiss' might have had were gone. "You were right. I thought I was doing the right thing, but—"

She was cut off by a howl, coming from one of the crates. It wasn't the howl of a Beowolf. It sounded more like the sound a Deathstalker would make if it had the lung capacity to howl in the first place.

"I can't do this," Ilia croaked. A tear dropped in front of Weiss. "I don't know how I missed it, but the White Fang isn't fighting for the same thing as I am anymore. The White Fang I knew would never give more power to the Grimm."

"I-Ilia," Weiss whispered. Why couldn't she say anything else? The urge to tell Ilia she didn't have to explain herself, and for Weiss to apologize herself, came over her. The words to do so wouldn't come, especially when Ilia lifted Weiss' head, putting it in her lap.

"We're in this together," Ilia said. "You and I, we can only make it out of here as a team. From what I've heard, we're not far from Mountain Glenn. Some of the White Fang were talking about a lab that had been there. This Merlot guy they're allied with did his work there."

It took a minute for the words, and their implication, to register to Weiss. That was probably due to the exhaustion, and not the feeling of how warm, soft, and safe Ilia's lap felt.

 _I need rest,_ Weiss mentally groaned. _I've never had such ridiculous thoughts before._

What Ilia was saying. Did she . . .?

"I want to take down Merlot," Ilia announced, confirming Weiss' thoughts. "I don't know what I'll do without the White Fang, but I could never live with myself if they released those monsters into Vale."

Ilia's sigh sounded so lost, so _defeated_ , that it made Weiss wince.

"I'm scared," Ilia sobbed. "I don't even know if you'll forgive me, and I'll have to face people I still consider brethren. I can't do that alone. I'm sorry, Weiss! _I'm sorry_! I'm sorry I thought of you as any other Schnee. I'm sorry I committed atrocities that directly affected you. I'm sorry for what I said. Please, give me a chance. I know I don't deserve another one, but . . ." Ilia trailed off, an anguished expression on her face.

Seeing that, Weiss felt a spark of energy return to her. She pushed herself off the girl's lap, albeit with far more reluctance than she would have liked. Her next action was the only reason she moved.

Weiss hugged Ilia.

Weiss had never been a hugger. Even now, she had to resist the urge to squirm when Ilia slowly wrapped her arms around Weiss. In her state, she was more collapsed onto Ilia than anything, relying on her strength to stay upright.

It was . . . nice. Far nicer than the hugs from Ruby that Weiss wouldn't admit she liked. In Ilia's embrace, Weiss felt more connected to the girl than anyone else on Remnant.

It made Weiss' next words come easily, despite the years of upbringing that warned her against them.

"I'm sorry, too."

Ilia jolted, but afterward, Weiss could feel the tension leak out of her grip. Weiss didn't need to say anything else, because Ilia understood.

Ilia understood her.

Weiss should have been angry. Ilia had kept the Fall of Beacon a secret. But it wasn't like Weiss was a stranger to secrets. This one had been on a much larger and much more horrifying scale, but it wasn't as though Ilia was leading the Fall.

Besides, Ilia had come back. She had saved Weiss, a Schnee, from a member of the same organization Weiss had gotten so worked up about. Ruby had shown her that actions speak far louder than words. If there was one thing Weiss could do now, it was trust in that lesson.

"I'll do it," Weiss announced, pulling herself away from Ilia. When she started to fall, Ilia caught her, and let Weiss lean against her shoulder. "Thanks," Weiss murmured.

"You'll help me?" Ilia asked.

Nodding took too much effort. "Yes," Weiss said instead. "In exchange, I want something." At the look Ilia gave her, she elaborated. "No more secrets. If we're going to work together, our trust has to be mutual. I can't go on wondering if you're hiding something from me. If you even slightly think I'll want to know something, tell me it. Got it?"

Ilia nodded.

"Good," Weiss said. "Then you can start by telling me about your past."

Ilia blinked. "My past?

"I told you about my past. Now, I want to hear about yours. I . . . I want to understand why Faunus would join the White Fang. I know of my company's . . . morally gray practices."

Weiss ignored Ilia's snort and kept speaking. "What I said earlier, I treated you like any other White Fang member." Weiss chose not to point out that betrayed trust had also played a part in her words. "You're more than that. I don't want to make the same mistake again. Please, tell me. It's not like we'll be going anywhere any time soon."

And wasn't that a thought. Would she have to spent the next hour with her head on Ilia's shoulder? The lack of control should have frustrated her, but she found herself smiling. Ilia's shoulder was the perfect size for Weiss to rest her head against, and the warm presence made her feel nothing but at ease.

Her thoughts finally caught up to the sensible part of her brain, and red crep across her face.

Fortunately, Ilia either didn't notice, or chose to ignore it. "I'll tell you," Ilia said. "I owe you that much."

And so, Weiss heard the tale of how Ilia joined the White Fang.

* * *

Ruby's scythe clipped her opponent. No matter how fast she swung it, the brown skinned, yellow haired girl dodged almost every time.

It was just the two of them now, the remainder of their teams out of the match. Ruby versus Arslan, to determine which team made it to the doubles round.

Ruby burst into rose petals, flying away from the string that had been aimed at her leg. Using her gun's recoil, she shot herself back at Arslan, scythe swinging again.

Arslan dodged, but Ruby had expected that. She slammed Crescent Rose against the icy floor. She shot more bullets from the weapon, sending her skidding backward as she rode it.

The ice that sprung up made a small barrier between them. Arslan could try to skate over it, but there was a chance of her slipping. It would have only slowed her down, had Ruby not launched herself over the barrier. She landed halfway between it and Arslan, switching her weapon to sniper mode.

As expected, Arslan charged at her, hoping to get in a hit that would end the fight. Ruby waited until she was close enough, before firing a fire bullet from Crescent Rose.

A small part of the ice melted, barely enough to be noticed. It still slowed Arslan's movement slightly, putting her off just enough for Ruby's next move.

She appeared behind the girl in an instant thanks to her semblance. Rather than attempt an attack that might miss, Ruby ran forward, into Arslan.

Ruby sucked at hand to hand, but her semblance did her job forward. It caught Arslan, throwing her onto the ice below. Or, more specifically, the ice Ruby had raised to form a barrier.

It was only an extra second for Arslan to pick herself up, the uneven ground making her stumble a bit. It was enough. Ruby's scythe slammed into the her, causing her to go flying, and her aura to go into the red.

" _And that's the match!"_ Professor Port called over the speakers. _"Team RWBY are this round's victors!"_

 _I . . . did it?_

Ruby leaned on her scythe, too exhausted to jump and cheer.

 _I did it!_

Her gaze found her teammates. Yang was _glowing_ , and Ruby almost wondered if she would have to run to avoid being crushed by a bear hug. As for Blake . . .

Blake had a soft, knowing smile on her face. She nodded in approval, which for her, was plenty.

It had been during one of Ruby's breakdowns that Blake had demanded they all train. Ruby had screamed at her, an action she regretted now, but Blake bore through it. Even Yang joined her side, and the two of them together were more stubborn than Ruby.

None of them failed to notice the lack of droning about improper form, or that there was less dust littering the training grounds after their sessions than they were used to. Ruby hadn't even tried to fight because of it at first, a concept she hadn't even thought of at Signal.

With time, that changed. When Blake had pointed out that they had to win Vytal Festival in Weiss' name, Ruby latched onto that thought like a child (or her) would a cookie. The hole in her chest was still present every waking second, but by using her grief to fuel her resolve, she, and her team, had won. It had been three on four, and they still won.

The sight of the arena made Ruby close her eyes. They had won, but how would the bout had gone if Weiss had fought? She could have manipulated the arena to trap the opponents and set up team combos. They could have had a team knockout.

 _We still won,_ Ruby told herself. _We won't be outnumbered in the doubles or singles._

Not that the thought helped.

At the very least, it was enough for her to put a smile on her face. She laughed at Yang's dramatic reenactment of the fight, while Blake rolled her eyes beside her.

 _We're still a team,_ Ruby thought. _I needed Blake's help to keep going, but I won't force her to look after me again. I'm the leader. I'll keep us together._

 _I hope you're proud, Weiss. Even after the Festival ends, I'll never stop fighting for you._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 — Another Victim**

* * *

It wasn't until the following day that Weiss felt well enough to leave the tunnels. Even knowing they were below Mountain Glenn, she could almost imagine she was stepping out into Vale for how her heart swelled. The gray streets and broken buildings may have had little resemblance to the bustling city that was Vale, but the sun shone down all the same. That, and the breeze tickling her skin, was enough to make her smile.

"We're just as stranded as we were before, you know," Ilia pointed out.

"I'm well aware," Weiss told her. "But we made it this far. There has to be rations here, or anything else to keep us moving. We can figure out where Merlot and the White Fang are hiding, then find civilization again."

"Are you sure you aren't just looking forward to finding the nearest creek to bathe in?"

Weiss swatted the back of her head. "Hey! I haven't complained."

"Sure," Ilia allowed. "Except I've seen the way you grimace every time you look at yourself."

Weiss managed to keep a blush off her face. "I . . . we've been stuck down there for over a week! The only water was from our canteens! Do you have any idea how awful I must smell right now?"

Ilia snorted. "I've been with you the whole time. Trust me, I know. And since you've been with _me_ , you know too."

"Exactly," Weiss said, missing Ilia's eye roll. "We have both suffered for long enough. We need to look proper for the challenges ahead."

"Do we?"

"It will boost morale."

Ilia looked as though she had a response to that, but she just rolled her eyes again. "You know you can't wash your clothes until we get to Vale, right? And seeing as we're still far from the kingdom, it's not like your clean state will last long."

Weiss' face crumbled, prompting a giggle out of Ilia.

The best course of action, Weiss decided, was to pretend as though none of that had ever happened. "So, where should we start looking for Merlot?"

Ilia spared Weiss by going along with the conversation change. She turned to the right, focused on the tallest building in Mountain Glenn. The mountains themselves cast a backdrop over the steel structure. "That's what we're looking for," Ilia said.

"Looks . . . unstable." Weiss couldn't help but wonder if stepping foot inside the building would cause it to collapse on them.

"Then we better be careful." With that, Ilia stalked in that direction.

Weiss understand that resolve more now. After spending so long pretending to hate the Faunus like anyone else, Ilia had to prove herself. To those girls that had never truly been her friends, and to all humans who would treat other Faunus that way. It was Ilia's isolation that drove her.

When Weiss had heard Ilia's story, she'd almost confessed her own past. How her "friends" were just Father's attempts at strengthening political alliances. Those children had seen her as nothing more than a Schnee, either ignoring her or trying to take advantage of her status.

Weiss didn't want Ilia to think she was trying to compete in who had the worse past. She would keep silent for now.

* * *

Every step was more tense than the last. Any second, Ilia expected the shadows to leap at her. Her hand kept falling to her weapon, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.

No Grimm had attacked them yet. With the lingering activity from Mountain Glenn's collapse, that shouldn't have been possible. Where were all the Grimm?

Weiss, from her silence, felt the tension as well. She had actually drawn her weapon, and kept fiddling with the hilt.

With both of them in such a state, it would have been impossible for them to miss the Creep.

Ilia's whip was out in an instant, and Weiss' sword was pointed in that direction. With the possibility of other Grimm nearby, neither of them moved to attack.

"Wait," Weiss whispered. "That looks like the Grimm the White Fang had!"

Looking closer, Ilia realized Weiss was right. The armor plating had lime green accents to it, and if she listened closely, she could hear the Grimm's growl was deformed, sounding almost like a whine.

If what Ilia had heard from the White Fang was correct, then . . .

"Weiss," Ilia whispered. "Do you have enough fire dust to afford taking it out?"

Weiss blinked, eyes widening slightly. "Uh, yeah." Her sword's hilt spun, until a red crystal was at the front. A glyph of the same color formed in the air, right in front of Weiss' shoulder. From it, shot a fireball.

The Grimm howled as it burned, and when it turned their way, Ilia expected it to charge at them. That was, until it stilled.

"W-what's it doing?" Weiss asked.

Based on its shaking, Ilia could guess.

"Get down!" Ilia shouted, not that it mattered. Before either of them could move, the Grimm detonated. Green acid exploded out of it, surrounding a two foot radius. It evaporated alongside the Grimm.

Ilia grit her teeth. "We have to move. We can't let any of these be brought to Vale."

Weiss nodded, and the two set off again. Ilia had expected the same silence as before, but as usual, it was Weiss who broke it.

"Adam," she said, sounding as though she were treading over a minefield. "What kind of person is he?"

Ilia almost froze at the question. She considered snapping at Weiss with emotion she didn't feel, just so she wouldn't have to answer.

"Adam . . ." Ilia found herself saying instead. "Adam's complicated. He's seen things none of us have, and done things some of the lower members of the White Fang wouldn't dream of doing. He's in a difficult position, where he doesn't have enough power to accomplish every one of his goals, but he has enough to he feel he can."

"He was the one who ordered the strike on Vale," Weiss said. Ilia flinched at the accusation in her voice. What could she say? She couldn't deny what Adam had done.

Everyone in the White Fang knew Adam was hurting. They followed him regardless, because his strength and dedication were greater than anyone's. Many, like him, wanted revenge on the humans.

Ilia frowned. Did she not consider herself the same way? She always had, but now she was working with a Schnee to stop the White Fang. It was happening so fast, Ilia didn't know what to think.

"Adam has his flaws," Ilia sighed. "He's arrogant. He . . . doesn't care as much about the people below him as he should." _How many died in those tunnels?_ "He doesn't purposefully do wrong. He believes he's in the right, and many agree with him."

She had expected another accusation from Weiss. Instead, the girl's gaze was locked onto the floor. "That sounds like someone I know," she whispered.

 _Someone she knows?_ Ilia wished she could have had further questions, but the answer was painfully obvious. Apparently, even the Schnee heiress knew of her father's practices.

"Weiss," Ilia said, causing the girl's head to snap in her direction. "What do you plan on doing with the Schnee Dust Company, once you are in charge?"

Weiss' face fell. "My father's probably given my role to my brother by now. Nothing's going to change with him as the head."

Weiss fell silent, and Ilia thought she would leave it at that. But with a sigh, Weiss spoke again.

"I wanted to return our company to the goals my grandfather had set out for it. The betterment of Remnant, rather than just ourselves. I wanted to toss our shady business partners to the curb, or even buy them out. Our work ethics would be moral, and every worker would get the payment they deserved. The Schnee Dust Company would no longer be a name to scorn, but one to respect."

A week ago, Ilia wouldn't have believed her. Two days ago, she would have been shocked at the answer. Now, she just nodded.

"I wonder, if I was in Sienna's place, or even Adam's, would I be able to make such drastic changes?"

"Maybe you can find out."

Ilia jolted at the words. "Huh?"

"We're going to stop Adam, aren't we?"

"Y-yes. But—"

"If we succeed, the White Fang in Vale will be scattered. Someone will have to pick up the pieces. Who better than one of Adam's trusted lieutenants?"

 _Who are you?_ Ilia wondered. _Who are you, as a Schnee, to suggest such a thing?_

Ilia had a suspicion. "Maybe," she said. "And maybe you'll get your title back . . . Weiss, if you are the future of the Schnee Dust Company, how will you prepare the next heir to take your place?"

Ilia didn't miss Weiss' flinch. "I'm not sure," Weiss admitted. "I don't know if I have the experience."

"The experience?"

"I know what _not_ to do." Weiss all but spat the words. "I shouldn't keep the heir locked in the manor. I shouldn't require that the heir's friends benefit the company, even if the heir isn't respected by those friends. I shouldn't force the heir to be _proper_ , even in private. I shouldn't yell at or slap the heir for doing even the smallest thing wrong. I shouldn't—" She cut herself off with a visible shudder. "Like I said, I don't know."

Weiss' walk was brisk, and Ilia took the hint and slowed, giving Weiss some space. She had her answer, anyway.

Her eyes remained planted on Weiss. She strutted forward, posture stiff, hand on her sheathed weapon. Her gaze remained planted forward, and she trekked without a single flaw to her step. The sun lit up her hair, letting Ilia see the patches of dirt on it that the girl ignored.

It was one of the most beautiful things Ilia had ever seen.

 _She's not a Schnee. She's a victim to them, just like me. The Schnee Dust Company has damaged her as well._

And she had pushed past the damage to work with Ilia. Was that out of necessity, as Weiss had implied? Or had it been something else? Had her reasoning been on a more subconscious level, seeking out another victim?

Perhaps Weiss and Ilia needed each other more than either had realized.

Ilia only got a few minutes to dwell on the thought, before Weiss ducked back when rounding a corner. It just so happened that this was the last corner before they reached Merlot's old lab.

"White Fang members," Weiss whispered. "Four of them, guarding the entrance."

 _So they are using it,_ Ilia thought. There had been rumors Merlot was creating a new lab, due to the damage the old one had taken. Those rumors had been debunked, since many still believed Merlot had died in Mountain Glenn. The lab before them proved both sides wrong. Merlot was still alive, and he hadn't moved his operations.

"Let me take them out," Ilia whispered back. "I should be able to do so without alerting anyone nearby. If one looks like he's about to shout, try to stop him."

At Weiss' nod, Ilia leaped onto the nearest building. She had to find footholes in the damaged structure, and grab steel jutting out, but she made it to the top. From there, she went from building to building, circling around the White Fang below, until she was finally close to Merlot's lab.

It had no footholds, so she climbed down from the building she stood on. That put her against the lab's right side, with the mountains behind her.

She turned gray. Against the sun's backdrop, she wouldn't fool the White Fang for long. If she got close enough, that wouldn't matter.

She ran, her steps as light as a tiptoe. She approached the White Fang at the entrance, until one of them turned in her direction. He opened his mouth to shout a warning.

Before he could, Ilia flung her whip forward, without activating the dust. It wrapped around his mouth, and she yanked him to the ground.

That member dazed, Ilia threw herself at his companion, getting him in a hold. He struggled, but Ilia overpowered him, pulling him near the building. She slammed his head into it, knocking him out.

Two members left. They were just reacting to Ilia, pointing their guns at her. Her whip caught one, stealing it from the soldier's grasp. Ilia tackled the man a moment later, not bothering with the other one. A thump behind her told her Weiss was taking care of it.

No doubt the White Fang member's eyes were wide as Ilia pressed down on his windpipe, constricting his breathing. He brought his hands up to pry hers apart, but couldn't get a proper grip. Ilia shook her head, even knowing he wouldn't give up resisting. In a last attempt, he jerked his body, but couldn't escape from Ilia.

She sighed when he finally fell unconscious, removing her hands from his neck. She felt his pulse to make sure he was still breathing.

That done, she turned around. All four men were unconscious, Weiss having taken care of the one Ilia had ignored, and the one she had dazed. Ilia nodded her thanks.

Together, they approached the entrance to the building. She understood Weiss' concerns about stability. It was as though the building swayed in front of them.

 _We'll have to hope it's stronger than it looks._

"You ready?" Ilia asked.

"Ready," came the response.

"Right." Ilia took a breath. "Let's do it, then."

They took their first steps into the building. They were free from the confinement of the tunnels, but the danger ahead would only be higher.

 _Out of the frying pan, and into the fire._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 — Open Your Eyes**

* * *

A spider scurried across the room, kicking up dust in its wake.

To Weiss, that was the perfect mood setter for what would be ahead.

Merlot Industries must have been open to the public when it was in operation. The room Weiss and Ilia entered had a receptionist desk that reminded Weiss of the one at the Schnee Dust Company. There were also chairs against the wall, but Weiss wouldn't sit in one unless she wanted a collision with the floor.

 _No Grimm, though. The White Fang must have moved them upstairs._

Weiss glanced at Ilia, and the two nodded. No communication between them was needed, not after all they had been through together.

Ilia took the lead, creeping toward the stairs. Weiss trailed close behind, her hand on Myrtenaster. The caution proved to be unnecessary, because the second floor was as empty as the first.

 _This is getting creepy. Where is everybody?_

They got to the third floor, and realized why there were no White Fang nearby.

An Alpha Beowolf prowled the floor on two feet, snorting with seemingly no care. When Weiss and Ilia reached the floor, those sniffs increased in intensity. The creature slowly turned its head, until its green eyes locked onto Weiss and Ilia.

Green. The same color of every Grimm Merlot had infected. The spikes on the Beowolf were the same color, and when it opened its mouth to lick its teeth, Weiss saw the inside of the mouth emitted a green glow.

Weiss and Ilia sprung forward, weapons out. Thanks to a glyph, Weiss was the first to reach the Beowolf. She leaped over it, hitting its back with a barrage of spikes. Those green spikes absorbed every hit, making Myrtenaster feel like a toothpick.

Weiss felt even more useless when the Beowolf ignored her, choosing to slash its claws at Ilia. Ilia was too fast for it, jumping back—

Weiss' eyes widened. The Beowolf _sprung_ forward, seemingly gliding across the ground. That swipe had only been the first, and each one propelled it forward, straight at Ilia. Three of its attacks hit Ilia, causing her to gasp in pain. Those claws would have torn her apart in an instant without aura.

"Ilia!" Weiss shouted. Fire touched Myrtenaster, then launched from it in an arc. The Beowolf growled when the blast struck it, more annoyed than hurt. It turned Weiss' way.

 _That's right. Stay on me. Ignore her._

Weiss formed four glyphs around the Beowolf, then jumped to the first one. The Beowolf tried to catch her with its claws, but missed when she spun midair, contracting her body. When she reached the glyph, she immediately jumped off it, using the extra force to propel herself at the Beowolf.

She lurched, eyes widening. Before she could figure out what had happened, the world spun around her, and she hit the ground on her back. Her breath was driven out of her.

It was seeing Myrtenaster stuck on the Beowolf's paw that clued her in. It had _caught_ her sword.

Ilia's whip flew past Weiss' face, curling around Myrtenaster's hilt. Ilia yanked it back, making the blade fly through the air.

"Thanks," Weiss said, jumping forward and catching the blade midair. She landed at Ilia's side.

"This thing is tougher than it looks," Ilia murmured.

Weiss smiled.

"Then let's hit it with everything we got."

The Beowolf roared, and they sprung forward.

"Go left!" Weiss shouted. When Ilia did so, Weiss moved right. The dust cartridge in Myrtenaster spun, then clicked into place. The instant it did, Weiss sent a wave of ice along the ground, catching the Beowolf's feet. It stumbled, leaving it unprepared for Ilia's whip, which wrapped around the same spot Weiss had targeted. The Beowolf stumbled, falling onto its back hard enough to make the building shake.

Weiss summoned a gravity glyph behind her, then used it to launch herself forward. Her blade sunk into the Beowolf's stomach, finally drawing a pained howl from it.

Rather than stay close, Weiss pulled her sword out, then leaped back. It was just in time for Ilia to strike the same spot with her electrified whip, drawing yet another howl. This time, it stood up following the attack, leaping at Ilia with a snarl.

"Get away from her!" Weiss ordered. With the use of time dilation, she was on top of the Beowolf in an instant. She stabbed Myrtenaster toward its eye.

The Beowolf dipped its head down, causing Weiss' sword to bounce off its armor. Knowing what had happened, Weiss leaped back to avoid a claw swipe, then had a gravity glyph launch her into the air. The Beowolf's follow-up attacks all missed its target.

 _I can't keep time dilation up anymore. I'm out of the dust I need._

She had known she was running out of dust, but she couldn't just stop using it. Her entire fighting style revolved around dust.

Weiss forced herself not to use a blast of fire on the Beowolf's exposed hide. Instead, she flipped mid-air, falling headfirst with her sword in front of her. Ilia saw what she was doing, and wrapped her whip around the Beowolf's center. It only kept it still for a second, but that was all Weiss needed. Myrtenaster dug into the Beowolf's back, between two of the spikes.

Ilia lashed forward with her whip, one, two, three, four times. While she did this, Weiss put all her weight on Myrtenaster, forcing it further into the Beowolf.

Two different assaults, from two different directions. Its howl came out more like a scream.

Something gave, and Weiss almost stumbled when Myrtenaster lurched the rest of the way through the Beowolf. The sudden movement prepared her, and she steadied her feet as the Beowolf evaporated below her.

Ilia smirked at the sight, yanking her whip back. Stood like that, radiating confidence and power, she looked like a princess. Weiss' heart fluttered.

Some might have thought it ridiculous that, as a child, Weiss had made a list of physical attributes she looked for in a partner. She'd wanted a charming smile, hair that showed personality without being too outlandish, a healthy form and skin, and more.

Neptune had fit all those attributes. When she'd seen Neptune, she'd seen her list come to life. That, and him flirting with her like he was on her level drew her to him. He'd been great physically, and he hadn't acted weird around her due to her name.

He paled in comparison to Ilia. If Weiss had thought to as a kid, she would have put spots like those on Ilia's skin on her list. More than that, Ilia had a passion in her eyes Neptune had been lacking. Her hair, even when full of dirt and grit, was perfect.

Weiss wasn't afraid to admit she had a physical attraction to Ilia. Her father would disown her the instant he learned she had an interest in a member of the White Fang, former or not. In any other situation, Weiss would have stayed far away from Ilia.

By now, Whitley owned the SDC. Did it matter what Weiss' father thought?

Weiss shook her head, dispelling the thoughts. Attraction or not, Weiss' feelings didn't matter. Not when Beacon was at stake. Weiss hadn't been afraid to jump into a relationship with Neptune, but the circumstances had been different.

That, and Neptune had made his feelings toward Weiss clear. Then again, he had done that for everyone. Ilia, on the other hand, was still a mystery. A mystery Weiss wanted to explore, perhaps, but Weiss was barely beyond talking terms with the girl.

 _Are we? After all that's happened?_

A ring, like a mall's speakers coming to life, brought Weiss out of her thoughts.

"What an interesting development this is," a male voice said. The speaker sounded close to Ozpin's age, but his tone was much deeper.

"Who's there?" Weiss demanded. Her eyes scanned for the source of the voice, and she found a camera in the corner of the room.

Her eyes narrowed. "Merlot."

"That's me," Merlot said. "I'm honored that you've heard of me."

Ilia rolled her eyes beside Weiss. "Did you just want to taunt us? If you couldn't tell, we're here to take down your lab."

Merlot chuckled, making Weiss bristle. "That lab was taken down years ago. I thought I would never recover its resources, but with help from a mutual friends of ours, I got everything I need."

"The White Fang are not my friends," Ilia spat. Quieter, she said, "Not anymore."

Merlot made a curious hum. "Regardless, you will not be able to make a dent in our plans. Although, I will admit, I would have preferred if you let me collect the rest of the Grimm at that location. They are such fine specimen, and I would hate to lose them."

A fireball hit the camera a moment later, making it explode into pieces.

"Weiss?" Ilia asked, looking at Weiss' still flaming blade.

"We don't have time to listen to a villain monologue," Weiss said. "You heard what he said, the White Fang was only here to collect resources. But they're _still here_. You know what that means, don't you?"

Ilia's eyes widened. "Someone will be sending a Bullhead to pick them up."

Weiss nodded. "And if they have resources, that Bullhead will be heading to Merlot. We can still stop him."

Ilia bit her lip, then nodded, taking a step forward. "Then let's do it."

* * *

Dr. Merlot watched through the cameras as the two huntresses ran through the building. They rose floor to floor, disposing of any Grimm in their way. The Alpha Beowolf they had faced had been among the best of the work he'd left behind, so it was only logical it would be their toughest opponent.

He sighed. Such optimism. He remembered a time when he was the same way. A budding scientist, destined for greater things. He'd believed he could utilize the most powerful force known to man: the creatures of Grimm. Humanity could have risen to heights never before seen, if only the fools in charge had listened to him.

It seemed the cycle was repeating itself once more. The two young ladies defiling his work had no interest in hearing what he had to say. They, like so many others, didn't see the potential in Grimm.

Oh, but Merlot was not alone in his endeavors. What a brilliant young mind Cinder Fall was, to believe in the Grimm's power. And she was letting him display his work. Vale would be his stage, and the entire world his audience.

Yes, his re-emergence would be spectacular. His pets would make quite the splash.

He turned to his latest experiment. It huffed, thrashing at the chemicals being injected into it from a machine twice its size. Even then, its resistance was weak, Merlot's work already taking effect. It couldn't even open its eyes, for how drained it was.

"You want to come to my island, then?" Merlot questioned, sparing a glance for the two girls on screen. They sprinted up the stairs, making their way to the roof. "Allow me to prepare a welcoming party."

The machine died down, no longer supplying the Grimm. It twitched, coming to life with new energy. Energy he could control.

"I have given you life," he said. "Life for me to control."

He smiled. "Now, open your eyes."

* * *

Ilia's body had taken control long ago. She let it carry her up the stairs in a sprint, Weiss close behind her. No Grimm got in her way for too long, not when she had a goal to reach. She could hear a Bullhead in the distance, perhaps two minutes away from landing. Where else could it land but the highest level of the abandoned settlement? If there had been any more White Fang below, Weiss and Ilia would have seen them.

The roof. That was where the White Fang would make their escape. Weiss and Ilia had a small window, between the White Fang entering the Bullhead, and the Bullhead leaving them behind. They would get on board then.

Ilia ran through the plan over and over, until it was drilled through her skull. Nothing else mattered, not now.

 _I have to stop the White Fang from becoming the monsters everyone sees us as. Even if that means standing against them._

It was with that thought that Ilia pushed her way to the roof. Clouds had covered the sky, and the first drops of rain were starting to fall.

There were also the last of the White Fang, pulling themselves into the Bullhead. One glanced back at Ilia and Weiss, his hand twitching and moving toward his gun. His friend snapped something at him, and they entered the Bullhead, pulling the door shut behind them.

Not a moment passed before the Bullhead lifted itself off the ground, preparing to leave Mountain Glenn, and Weiss and Ilia, behind.

Ilia's feet took her across the roof in an instant. She threw her whip out catching it onto a latch at the bottom of the Bullhead. This was a storage Bullhead, meaning it had a bottom floor where valuable supplies were kept. None of the White Fang would be down there.

Getting in would be the problem, especially with the Bullhead moving. Ilia's feet were lifted off the ground as the Bullhead continued to rise. In another few moment, it would be moving very, _very_ fast, from lethal heights.

A thump came from next to her. Ilia looked that way to see Weiss had launched herself onto the Bullhead with a glyph, digging her weapon into the metal. Ilia opened her mouth to ask how Weiss had forced the blade through the Bullhead, only to see smoke rising from the hole she clung to.

 _She used fire dust to give herself a handhold. On a moving Bullhead. This girl is incredible._

Incredible wouldn't get either of them in the Bullhead, but teamwork would. Ilia held her hand out, extending it as far to Weiss as possible. Weiss nodded, resolve set on her face. Then, she jumped, pulling her weapon from the Bullhead. With her left hand, Ilia clasped onto Weiss' right, the girl swinging like a pendulum beneath her.

Ilia grunted, heaving Weiss up to hold onto her whip's hilt alongside Ilia. Ilia jolted when their hands touched, tingles running through her body. Her eyes widened. She hadn't felt anything like that since . . .

Since Blake.

No time to focus on that. Weiss thrust her blade forward, using gravity dust on the door. The glyph forced the door open, and they were both moving the instant the door lurched. They flipped over the extending door, and into the Bullhead. When they landed, they rolled beside a crate, using it as support.

The wind tugged on Ilia, drawing her back into the open air. With a flick of her head to flip her hair back, she used her whip one more time, attaching it onto the door latch and pulling. Weiss grabbed her arm, sending more tingles down her body while also making the effort far easier. The two of them planted their feet, and yanked.

They caught themself on the dust crate when the door closed, sighing in relief.

"We made it," Weiss whispered. Ilia nodded alongside her.

They'd made it. They were on a one-way trip to a villain's lair. Stuck down below like they were, they would have no idea where their destination was. No information, no way to plan ahead.

They would have to rely on faith.

* * *

 **A/N: If you've been enjoying this story and want more of my writing, I would love it if you supported my first published novel. It went through months of editing, and is finally out on www . amazon dp/B07DH4D6PC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8 &qid=1527992544&sr=8-1&keywords=brian+krewson**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 — Heart**

* * *

Even breathing felt too loud. While the Bullhead's cargo bay was far from the passenger seating, there was no telling when a White Fang grunt might walk past. A cramped room filled with explosive dust would be the worst place to have a small army of Faunus descend on them.

Not that the overwhelming silence was much better. With no idea of their destination, Weiss and Ilia had spent the last few hours practically frozen. They could only wait, their minds filled with scenarios of what they were getting into. If it hadn't been for Weiss' strict training as a child, she would have broken the silence ages ago.

Given Ilia's time in the White Fang, Weiss expected her to remain just as quiet. Yet it was Ilia who broke the silence that plagued them.

"We're heading to an island," Ilia whispered. "One off the coast of Vale."

Weiss blinked at her. "How do you know _that_?" she hissed.

"The direction we took off in," Ilia explained. "We had to either be going to Vacuo, or an island. We've been in the air too long for our destination to be Vacuo, so it has to be an island."

Weiss hummed, accepting the explanation. "Did you learn that skill in the White Fang?"

Ilia's silence lasted long enough for Weiss to wonder if a White Fang member was outside the door. When Ilia spoke, Weiss had to strain to hear her.

"They taught me everything I know," Ilia said. "I'd be nothing without them."

Two weeks ago, Weiss would have questioned if what Ilia had become was truly better than nothing. Now, she closed her eyes.

"It must have been nice," Weiss sighed. "Having teachers who actually cared about you. Who wanted to protect you, rather than get paid."

Ilia shuffled uncomfortably. "When you have teachers who want the best for you," she whispered, "they may . . . force ideas into your head. Ideas you don't really believe, but are drilled into you with time."

Weiss' eyes widened at the implication. Was Ilia . . . did she . . .?

"I hate humans," Ilia said. "For what they did to my parents, and to so many other Faunus. But I—I didn't want to hurt them at first!" Ilia's body shook, and Weiss could tell it was taking all her effort to keep her voice low. "I just wanted to make things right! Then we started using violence, and—and it worked. Humans finally respected us."

Ilia huddled in on herself, face full of misery. "The White Fang are—were my family. But m-maybe along the way . . ." she sniffed, "I lost track of what they were becoming. I filled myself with anger and ignorance, the traits I hated the humans for in the first place. The White Fang taught me everything I know, but now I don't know if what they taught me was right. And if it isn't—if I'm not one of them . . . then who am I?"

The words, especially the last three, were a blow on Weiss' heart. She forced herself through the wave of emotion to speak. "I know what it's like," she managed, "to have a stranger in your mind."

Ilia blinked at her. "Huh?"

"Our minds," Weiss whispered, "form from the people we surround ourselves with. I realized it during my argument with Blake. When I yelled at her, I was using my mind, drawing from years of experience under my father.

"When I forgave her, I spoke with my heart. It was the first—or rather, second—time I made a decision for myself."

"I can't just throw away everything I've learned," Ilia protested.

Weiss shook her head. "I'm not saying you have to. Ilia, you're . . . you're not like them, alright? You're honest, brave, and understanding. _That's_ what your heart is telling you to be. And that feeling, the one tugging you away from your beliefs, that's what you're meant to follow."

Weiss understood, now. Behind the violence, behind the spite, Ilia was still a scared girl who missed her family. The White Fang was all she had, and if she had to change who she was to keep them, then so be it. She had given up herself so she wouldn't lose what she cared about.

Just like Weiss had done for her father.

"Ilia . . . I haven't known you for long, but I feel as though I already understand you more than my team, and even my own family. Ruby and Yang were never afraid to hide what they were feeling, and even Blake opened up in time. But their doubts, their deepest fears, I don't know what those are. Yours, I get. And . . . I'll help you, in any way I can."

Ilia stared at her with wide eyes, then giggled.

Weiss frowned. "What's so funny?"

"It's just . . . I was thinking the same about you. I spent years under the White Fang, yet now, I would trust you more than any of them."

Weiss smiled. Whatever might lie ahead, they would be ready for it. Together.

"Weiss?" Ilia asked.

"Hm?"

"I think . . . I want to surround myself with more people like you. I want to bring my mind closer to my heart."

Weiss leaned back, tension flowing out of her shoulders. "I'd like that."

* * *

Following their conversation, the only noise was that of the Bullhead. When that finally quieted, Ilia stood up.

"Let's get out of here before the White Fang show up," she said. "They'll want to unload all of this, which will give us time to escape." She held out her hand for Weiss, who took it.

Getting out of the Bullhead was far easier than getting in. They were able to exit the cargo bay before any White Fang made it outside. What greeted them was a dirt covered shore, with rocky cliffs separating it from the rest of the land. The moon shone brightly in the sky, showing them just how long they had spent in the Bullhead.

With a nod to Weiss, Ilia leaped on top of the rocks, making her way up. The sound of glyphs told her Weiss wasn't too far behind. With the rocks jutting out, all different sizes, it was easy for Ilia to find places to land. It only took her a minute to vault over the final rock, moving partway down the cliff so it would hide her. Weiss landed beside her.

There wasn't much to say about Merlot's island. He didn't hide his presence, scattering towers and dust crates all over. No doubt, some of those crates contained Grimm in case of intruders.

Besides that, the land was barren. There were a few trees scattered here and there, but the ground was dirt and the occasional toxic pool. With the green liquid soaking in the nutrients, there was no chance for actual life on the island.

As for Merlot, the white building as wide of five houses was anything but inconspicuous.

"We should ignore the cell towers," Ilia whispered. There was no way of knowing if any of the Faunus had enhanced hearing. "They're likely a trap so Merlot can drop his Grimm on us. The better option is to sneak our way in."

"And then?" Weiss asked.

"We stop Merlot, by any means necessary."

That said, they moved. Running alongside the rocks meant avoiding any detection, and much of Merlot's traps. While there were still the scattered Grimm, they were simple to deal with. Merlot must have been relying on any intruders activating the towers. Without that, he had no way of tracking them.

 _This is too easy. I can understand Merlot being this incompetent, but why aren't White Fang patrolling this place? Even if they somehow don't know about us, Adam wouldn't leave a base unguarded._

Ilia's skin crawled the entire way, and when they finally approached the large steel doors of Merlot's lab, it took all her willpower not to bolt.

Weiss drew her weapon, clearly feeling the same. "Let me try something," she said. She slammed her sword into the ground, and a glyph formed between them and the door. It was white, with a blue outline, and four swords sticking out from it. It spun slowly at first, before speeding up.

It dissipated with no effect.

Weiss muttered something under her breath. Then, she turned to Ilia. "I was trying to send something in before us, but . . . never mind. It looks as though we have no choice."

Ilia swallowed. They would have to enter the lab. She drew her own weapon, camouflaging her skin to blend in with the night.

It was Weiss who pressed her hand against the pad, signalling the doors to open. With every second that passed Ilia's breath got shallower. There had to be a trap. The White Fang wouldn't let this be so easy.

Ilia's eyes widened. Weiss yelped as the whip coiled around her, yanking her out of the way. Even then, it almost wasn't enough, and the charging mass brushed against her.

Ilia leaped away from the creature that had come rampaging from the lab doors which had barely contained it. When she rolled up beside Weiss, she got a full look at the creature. The tips of its tusks glowed green, the same color as the normally red markings on its mask. Even without the mutations, it would have been intimidating. The White Fang had procedures for every Grimm, and with this particular species, the steps for dealing with it were basic.

Run.

"No way," Ilia whispered. "There's no way he managed to take control of a Goliath."

She couldn't deny what was right in front of her, especially when the Goliath tried to slam its leg down on her. She spun away, trying to lash at the leg with her whip. She might was well have been using a feather.

Weiss didn't even bother. Sheathing her weapon, she ran. She hadn't made it out of the clearing before the Goliath _moved_. In an instant, it slammed into Weiss, knocking the girl onto the ground.

"Weiss!" Ilia shouted. Goliaths didn't move that fast naturally. What had Merlot done to it?

It didn't matter. The Goliath's foot lashed out, sending Weiss flying. The sight almost made Ilia's heart stop, but her body reacted. She caught Weiss midair, skidding on the ground with the girl in her arms.

Weiss' aura would have protected her from any injuries, but Ilia still examined her when she set her down. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Now's not—" Weiss took a deep breath. "I'm alright. Thank you."

"I'm going to distract it," Ilia said. "Run to safety."

" _What_?" Weiss blurted. Before she could say any more, they had to dive in opposite direction to avoid the Goliath's charge. The move put them on opposite sides of the giant, and too far away to argue.

Ilia smiled wanly. "Sorry, Weiss." Her whip lashed out again, doing no damage. Ilia wasn't trying to do damage, though. Irritating the Goliath was enough.

It turned her way with a snort. Even knowing what would come next, there wasn't much Ilia could do. She blinked, and the Goliath rammed into her. Her stomach erupted with pain, too much to even scream. She felt her aura snap from the strain.

 _Keep moving. Get it away from Weiss._

She clutched the leg that had slammed into her, spinning herself to the back of it. She kept spinning, until in irritation, the Goliath kicked the leg forward. Ilia let go in that moment, flying away from the Grimm.

It charged once more, but Ilia had flown at an angle. When she landed, she rolled. Even then, the Goliath's leg clipped her. Her body almost shook hard enough to fall apart. She forced herself to stand through the pain, and continued her sprint.

A flash of orange caught her vision. Silently praying, Ilia uncurled her whip toward it. By the time she turned her head, the whip had already wrapped around the branch sticking out of the cliff. Her whip carried her up, above the Goliath. The instant it was under her, she dropped from the branch and onto its back.

By this point, the Grimm had forgotten about Weiss entirely. It bucked Ilia off its back, but she caught herself on its tusk with one hand. This only infuriated it further, and it shook its head rapidly. Ilia couldn't even hope to climb back onto it.

Rather than slowly lose her grip, Ilia's hold vanished instantly when the Goliath thrusted its head downward. She shouted as she fell, unable to stop herself from landing on her back. Her breath fled her, and her limbs screamed from the strain she had put them through.

 _This is enough. I got it away from Weiss. She'll stop Merlot. She'll save the White Fang from itself. I know she can do it._

"ILIA!" Ilia's eyes widened when a familiar voice screamed her name. Her eyes snapped that way, only to see Weiss running toward her. Behind Weiss, a green glyph spun in the air.

 _What is she doing?_

When Weiss put herself in between Ilia and the Goliath, Ilia wanted to scream. Weiss was going to get herself killed! Ilia closed her eyes and clenched her teeth.

Nothing happened. Ilia creaked one eye open. Then, both her eyes widened.

An ice blue Beowolf, with the spikes of an Alpha, had slammed into the Goliath. At a second glance, Ilia realized those spikes were green, as were its eyes and mouth.

 _The mutated Alpha we killed earlier. Did Weiss . . . create a copy of it?_

What?

An Alpha Beowolf possessed strength to match a Deathstalker. There was no telling how much power it had when mutated. At least, other than a lot, because it was actually _holding the Goliath back_.

Weiss rushed to Ilia's side, lifting her off the ground. "We need to go!"

Ilia noded, leaning against Weiss until she found her footing. The moment she did, she was moving in the opposite direction of the fight. The Beowolf's snarls matched that of any mutated Grimm, and it was as if it was arguing with the Goliath as they exchanged blows, with how much noise they made. Weiss and Ilia might as well have not been there.

A thump drew Ilia's attention away from the Grimm. When she looked to her left, her blood ran cold.

"Weiss!" Ilia fell to her knees, putting herself at Weiss' side. Why was she on the ground? Had something attacked her? Ilia looked back to the fight just in time to see the Beowolf vanished.

"Sorry," Weiss gasped, trying and failing to pick herself up. "It takes . . . more energy . . . than I realized." Her aura crinkled, the last of it spent on that . . . whatever it was.

Ilia picked her up, carrying her in her arms. She would run, find a way to escape.

She had to.

The Goliath disagreed. It charged into Ilia's back, throwing both her and Weiss to the ground. They rolled in opposite directions.

"Weiss!" Ilia tried to lift herself up, but she had been forced down and back up too many times. Her arms strained under the pressure.

Because of that, there was nothing she could do when the Goliath's gaze moved from Ilia to Weiss. There was nothing she could do when the Goliath walked toward Weiss' prone form. There was nothing she could do when it raised its front leg.

There was nothing Ilia could do when the Goliath stomped down on the girl she cared about most.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 — Together**

* * *

Dust. Mankind's most innovative resource. It was the tool which they harnessed to survive against the Grimm. Dozens of applications for Dust were created every day, whether that be a new weapon, or a new Dust storage unit.

Weiss, as heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, had to keep up to date with all the new uses for Dust. It had always been a part of her studies. In those studies, she had seen techniques that sounded ridiculous upon first hearing them. Included in those was a self-destruct trigger on a weapon.

Why destroy your own weapon? It was counterproductive, and downright suicidal. Weapons were an extension of one's self. That wasn't just Ruby's motto, but a guideline for every Huntress. Weiss, while not an expert on weapons, had done hours of research to make sure Myrtenaster was perfect for her.

She could never imagine destroying her weapon. Making it intentionally backfire? That was a possibility. One she had prepared for without her father's knowledge, thanks to a hefty bribe on one of her family's blacksmiths.

As Weiss saw the foot of the Goliath stomping down on her, she knew she was going to die. She had no aura, and Goliaths were among the most powerful Grimm in Vale. Not to mention the enhancements Merlot had given this one.

She had nothing to lose. For even the smallest chance of surviving, she would take a risk.

Her hand slammed down on Myrtenaster, with the specific force and position to activate the hidden trigger.

Weiss didn't even have time to raise her arm before an explosion of fire, lightning, wind, and ice exploded from her weapon. It fell upon her, bringing with it a wave of agony. The little dust she had remaining still contained enough force to blow her away from the Goliath, ravaging her body in the process.

Before she could even begin to think about the searing pain, her consciousness vanished.

* * *

" _Weiss!"_

The shout was familiar, but faint. Weiss wondered if it was in her head.

" _Weiss!"_

 _Who's calling me? Where am I?_

Her eyes flew open.

"Ugh, finally!" Yang Xiao Long stuck her tongue out. "Since when were you one to daydream, Ice Queen?"

"I . . ." Weiss blinked, then looked around. She was sitting on a bench across from Yang in a cafe. More specifically, Blake's favorite cafe. The girl in question sat next to Yang, her head mostly buried in a book. Though she did peer over it to raise an eyebrow at Weiss.

And next to Weiss—

" _Yaaaaang,_ " Ruby whined. "Don't provoke Weiss into another argument."

Yang rolled her eyes. "If I don't teach her how to handle teasing, who will?"

They all looked to Weiss, as though waiting for a snappy retort.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked when it was clear no response was coming. "Are you okay?" She reached a hand toward Weiss' forehead.

Weiss reflexively slapped it away. "I'm fine." She hesitated. "How did we get here?"

Even Blake put down her book to stare at Weiss. "We walked," she said. "After taking a Bullhead from Beacon. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"Don't tell me you finally overworked yourself," Yang added.

"N-no." Weiss took a sip of her coffee that she could have sworn wasn't there a moment ago.

" _Hang on, Weiss! Stay with me!"_

"That voice again," Weiss mumbled. So it hadn't been Yang calling her? She racked her brain in an attempt to figure out why the voice sounded to familiar. Her face contorted in frustration.

There was . . . something. A semblance of urgency. She had somewhere she needed to be. But where?

For a millisecond, she remembered. Pain raced through her, vanishing before she could even register it.

 _Something happened to me. But what?_

Her teammates were definitely concerned now, based on the looks they gave her. Yang parted her lips to speak, but froze as footsteps approached their table.

"There you are," Yang said. She and Blake scooted over, cramping themselves in the two person bench while still making enough room for a third person. "Sit down, Ilia."

Weiss' eyes widened, darting to the chameleon Faunus as she took her seat. Ilia was wearing a black dress. If anyone else had worn it, it would have seemed out of place in a casual setting. Ilia made it look as though dresses like that were her casual wear, and it worked.

"Sorry I'm so late," Ilia said. She grimaced. "A group of anti-Faunus protestors tried to stop me from coming here."

Ruby gasped. "Are you okay?"

Ilia's eyes softened, and she gave a smile that made Weiss' heart flutter. "I am. Less can be said for them. I'm just lucky the closest police officer was a Faunus himself."

"Be more careful in the future," Blake said, putting a hand on Ilia's arm. "Vale is better than most nations, but Faunus are still second-class citizens here."

"I'll be fine," Ilia assured her. Her gaze fell onto Weiss. "After all, I have you guys."

" _Wake up Weiss!"_ It was Ilia's voice. A ragged, desperate sound. It was a complete contrast to the soft tone of the Ilia in front of her.

"Are you really okay?" Weiss couldn't help but ask at the contrast.

Ilia giggled. "I should be asking you that. You've gotten careless."

Weiss leaned back, frowning. "Excuse me?"

"You aren't concerned?" Ilia asked. "We're fighting for our lives, you know."

The memories re-surfaced in a barrage. Weiss fell forward, clutching her head in her hands. Fighting Ilia, getting stranded underground, gaining compassion for her Faunus companion, fighting the White Fang, surfacing at Mountain Glenn, Merlot.

 _The Goliath._

Weiss gasped. The pain finally struck, making her scream.

" _Weiss!"_

"Weiss!" Ilia echoed herself, leaping over the table and jumping to the floor where Weiss had fallen. Ruby, Blake, and Yang were frozen, not even reacting to Weiss writhing on the floor. They weren't even breathing.

The moment Ilia touched Weiss, the pain vanished. Weiss gasped for a long thirty seconds, until her breath finally came back.

"You're more injured than I thought, if nearly waking up did that to you," Ilia whispered.

Weiss, still on her back, her closest friend kneeling above her, looked at her frozen teammates. Then, she turned back to Ilia. "I'm dreaming."

Ilia moreso dipped her head than nodded. "Do you want to wake up?"

Moving suddenly felt like a gargantuan effort. "No. This is . . . nice. The five of us, here. I like it."

Ilia snickered. "Spoken like a true heiress."

"Hey!" Weiss couldn't help but giggle alongside her. She should have been panicking, but instead, she couldn't keep a smile off her face. That was, until Ilia spoke.

"Why?"

Weiss frowned. "Ilia?"

"Why do you want this? Aren't I your enemy? Why don't you hate me? They call you the Ice Queen, don't they?"

Weiss winced. There was something about Ilia using that title that hurt far more than when her teammates did.

"That's not who I am," Weiss sighed. "It's—" She cut herself off, forcing her body to move. It took almost a whole minute, but she made it back into her seat. Despite having kneeled next to Weiss, Ilia was already sitting down again when Weiss looked up.

"It was my father," Weiss whispered. "He made me into that person."

Ilia met Weiss' eyes, and Weiss knew that Ilia had already known the answer.

"You didn't answer my question, Weiss." Ilia's gaze bore into her. "Why do you want this?"

Weiss looked down in shame. _Why? What am I searching for?_

"I couldn't trust the Faunus." Weiss' tone was too quiet to be heard, yet Ilia listened. "There's always been a target on my back. All because I'm a Schnee. I've been taught to take pride in my name, and I do, but . . ."

She looked at Blake. The soft smile on her face, Yang's arm wrapped around her shoulder.

Ruby was still staring at Ilia, her eyes full of earnestness.

"I didn't know how much I was missing," Weiss said. Tears flooded her eyes. "You're right, I am the Ice Queen. That's what I was taught to be. But it's not what my heart wants. My mind was twisted by my father, and I don't know how to fix it."

"You want our help in that." Ilia's voice was soft, but not with weakness like Weiss'. Ilia's gentle tone washed over Weiss, calming her despite the torment of emotions that threatened to flood her.

Suddenly, they were no longer in the cafe. They were standing in the middle of Vale. Ilia's arms wrapped around Weiss.

"You already have it," Ilia whispered. "We're here for you, Weiss."

That was all Weiss needed to hear. She clutched Ilia, burying her head in her shoulder. Even then, she could feel Ilia shake her head, attempting to push Weiss away.

Weiss let go. When she pulled back, she saw Ilia's eyes glistening.

"Ilia?"

"We have to stop this, Weiss," Ilia whispered, looking over Weiss' shoulder. Weiss turned that way and gasped.

The streets of Vale were burning. Citizens ran, their mouths open in silent screams. They barely made it a step before the Grimm fell upon them. Green tipped Nevermores devoured them, while Beowolves with the same color fell upon them, too fast to track. Limbs were torn off innocents and Huntsmen alike, as carnage pillaged the city.

Weiss jumped when Ilia's hand fell on her shoulder. "You do want to stop this, right?" Ilia asked.

"Of course!" Weiss blurted, facing her with wide eyes.

Ilia smiled. "You are Weiss before you are a Schnee. You don't have to listen to your father."

"But the SDC—"

"Isn't the only path to change." Ilia's smile widened. "We can stop this, and so much more, if we do it together. Don't you agree?"

Weiss, surprisingly, didn't need to think about it. "You're right."

Ilia squeezed Weiss' shoulder. "We need to hurry. You have to wake up."

"Right," Weiss fell into a rigid posture befitting of an heir—of _her_. "I'm ready."

Ilia nodded. "Weiss?"

"Yeah?"

"When this is all over . . . let's go back to the cafe. All five of us. We'll focus on lighter subject, enjoy the coffee."

Weiss smiled. "I'd like that."

Ilia, along with the rest of the world, faded.

* * *

When Weiss awoke, she was expecting excruciating pain. Yet, while she felt too weak to open her eyes, there was a numbness throughout her entire body, dulling any pain she might have felt.

 _My aura must have come back. How long was I out?_

"Weiss?" Ilia's voice came from above her. "Are you . . . awake?"

Weiss sighed in exhaustion. She couldn't find the energy to nod, or to say yes. She could only grunt.

"Thank God," Ilia choked. Her voice was wet. "You're alive."

It took five minutes for Weiss to gain enough energy to speak, during which she could feel Ilia's presence at her side. When she finally opened her eyes, she could tell they were in an underground hole on the island. It was large enough for them, yet too small for any Grimm to have made a home of it.

Just like in the dream, Ilia kneeled over her.

"What happened?" Weiss asked.

Ilia responded by lifting Weiss' back, cradling her in her arms. Then, she hugged Weiss. "You saved me. Thank you."

Weiss blinked. "Saved you? What about the Goliath?"

"When your weapon backfired, it brought you closer to me. I got us away."

Weiss smiled at that, spotting Myrtenaster in the corner of her vision. "Then it sounds like you save me."

Ilia released Weiss, then leaned her against the wall. When Ilia sat next to her, Weiss scooted closer so their arms were touching.

Ilia's eyes turned pink at the contact. "We save each other."

Weiss nodded. Maybe her dream was still on her mind, or maybe it was her father's influence being further then ever, but she didn't hesitate to speak. "We need each other, don't we?"

Ilia jolted, then spoke. "Yeah."

This time, Weiss did hesitate before leaning her head on Ilia's shoulder. After all they had been through together, it felt right.

Ilia must have felt the same, because she wrapped an arm around Weiss. "I thought you were going to die," she whispered.

"I'm sorry."

Ilia shook her head. "You were amazing. What was that Beowolf you summoned?"

Weiss grinned at the memory. "I can summon defeated foes. Or at least, I should be able to. That was my first success."

"Convenient."

"I don't think it was," Weiss said. "Semblances are fueled by emotion, aren't they?"

The pinkness that crept over Ilia's freckles matched her eyes. She made a choked noise as though to speak, only to nod instead.

Weiss couldn't help but snicker. _Look at us. We're a mess._

"I've decided," Weiss said.

"Hm?" Ilia perked up at Weiss' statement.

"From now on, my life is mine to control. I won't let my father rule over me any longer. After we save Beacon, I'll spend my time there not just as a Schnee, but as my own person."

Ilia was silent for a minute. When she did speak, it was at a near whisper. "You really want that?"

"More than anything."

Ilia inhaled sharply, then let it out in a sigh. "Then I hope you let me have what I want."

Before Weiss could question what she meant, Ilia pressed her lips against Weiss'. Weiss jolted, wide eyed. Heat crept up her face, and her mind dissolved into static noise. If she had been in a better state of mind, she would have realized how close they had been getting before then. As she was, the kiss had come out of nowhere.

Ilia pulled back, flinching when she saw Weiss' face. "Sorr—"

Weiss cut her off. Not with words, but with her own kiss. She cupped Ilia's face, leaning into the kiss with a contented sigh. Ilia closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Weiss, returning the gesture.

They collapsed into each other as electricity raced through their bodies. Any other thought Weiss might have had vanished. All her focus was centered on the fire she felt. It was better than winning a spar, better than acing a test. It was . . . incredible.

Time was running out. Beacon would soon fall. But in that moment, sharing her love with Ilia, Weiss knew they could handle what was to come.

Together.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 — Out of Time**

* * *

"You're disqualified."

General Ironwood's voice rang with finality, as he glanced over the girls with a mixture of pity and frustration. Yang could only look away from his gaze, her head spinning, until the door clicked shut.

How had they gotten here? They had been a team of elite Huntresses in training; the best in their class. Their futures had been among the brightest in Beacon.

Then Weiss had died. She had left a hole that would never be filled. Her snarky remarks, her insistence on perfection, her stern attitude . . . they were all gone. Team RWBY could never recover from that loss.

One team member dead, and now another disgraced. Shame boiled in Yang's gut, though a spark of defiance burned alongside it. She knew what she had seen. Mercury had attacked her, so she attacked back.

Not that anyone would believe her. Anyone besides . . .

"You guys believe me, right?" Yang asked. She glanced at the hooded girl beside her.

"Duh!" Ruby exclaimed. Yang almost grinned, probably would have had Blake added on to the statement. She waited: one second, then three, then five.

"Blake?" Yang finally asked, when it was clear the girl across from her wouldn't respond otherwise. It was a lot to think about, but Blake was her teammate. She trusted Yang, didn't she?

Blake only looked down, gripping her arm. Yang's eyes widened at the sight, and just as she was about to speak up, Blake vocalised her answer.

"I want to believe you."

"Huh?" Ruby asked, but Yang barely heard it. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she could feel her earlier defiance snuff out.

"Blake?" Yang's voice cracked.

Yang's only saving grace was her sister. "Blake! Don't you trust Yang? She wouldn't hurt someone on purpose!"

"I had someone very . . ." Blake began, before shaking her head. "No."

"No?" Ruby's eyes widened.

"Not that." Blake stood up, moving to the bed and sitting on the opposite side of Yang. "I'm letting my past cloud my judgement again. I'm sorry, Yang."

With that, Blake wrapped an arm around Yang. Yang blinked, clearing the tears from her eyes.

"Blake?" Yang asked for the third time that evening. Was that all she could say?

"You really were attacked?" Blake asked, inhaling when Yang nodded. "Okay."

"Thank you," Yang whispered. She sighed, leaning against Blake and pulling Ruby in closer. "What do we do now?"

Blake looked to their leader, and Yang followed her gaze. After everything that had happened, Ruby kept going. She was stronger than Yang would ever be.

 _I can never make up for losing Weiss, but I promise I'll be there for you, Ruby._

 _Always._

Ruby took a deep breath, before her eyes hardened.

"We train. We be the best Huntresses we can be. And next year, we win the tournament for Beacon.

"We keep moving forward."

* * *

It was the sound of engines that stirred Weiss out of her sleep. Weeks of constant movement, multiple injuries from Grimm and the White Fang, and the emotional strain of the looming Fall of Beacon had all created a cumulative effect on Weiss' body. Nearly dying from a Dust explosion had pushed her over the edge. Her aura may have healed her, but only sleep would give her the energy she needed.

Yet, when she woke, she knew she wouldn't sleep again until this was all over.

"What's going on?" she asked, moving her head off Ilia's lap. Despite the circumstance, she couldn't keep a smile off her face. Some would call her selfish for keeping Ilia underground with her, but Weiss _refused_ to put her girlfriend's life in such danger while she _slept_. The only time Ilia left Weiss alone was to steal food and water from the White Fang.

Ilia kept one hand on Weiss'. "I don't know," she whispered. "But we might be out of time."

Weiss' blood ran cold.

She rapidly shook her head, as if she could delay time by being stubborn enough. "How? The White Fang moved supplies here just a few days ago! Merlot can't be that close to completing his work."

"It doesn't matter." Ilia's voice sounded close to cracking. "Not if Adam wants Beacon to fall tonight."

They didn't need to say anymore. One look at each other said everything. They rose, hands still intertwined, and returned aboveground.

The first thing Weiss noticed was the light in the distance. It was a spotlight, a Bullhead directing those below. No doubt that Bullhead, along with others, would soon be full of mutated Grimm. And since the Bullhead flew above the lab, there was no telling how many Grimm were in the area.

With the sun setting, the clear sky, and the faint breeze tickling Weiss' skin, it was almost as if she was on a vacation. How much would change in the next few hours?

Ilia took a step toward the lab, only stopping when Weiss put a hand on her arm. When Ilia looked back wide eyed, Weiss shook her head.

"There's no time." Weiss took a deep breath for what she would say next. "We can't stop them. You know Adam better than me, do you think he would only leave a few forces for this sort of job?"

Ilia tugged her arm free from Weiss' grip. "I have to try. I can't stand by while the White Fang makes life more difficult for Faunus everywhere."

"I know." Weiss smiled, finding Ilia's hand again to squeeze it. "We aren't giving up. But we can't win alone." Ilia followed her gaze to the cell towers.

"You want to bring the cell towers back online," Ilia realized. "You're going to call Beacon?"

Weiss sighed. "No. The SDC."

As predicted, Ilia tensed up, and Weiss rushed to explain.

"Beacon won't get here in time to help. Even if they could, they need every Huntsman and Huntress to defend Vale. The SDC has Bullheads fast enough to get here and drop Dust bombs on the White Fang. It's brutal, but . . ." she sighed. "We have no other choice."

In any other situation, Ilia would have had something to say about the implications of Weiss' statement. No normal company had military Bullheads and bombs.

"Do it," Ilia said now, taking a step forward. "I'll keep any White Fang from escaping with the Grimm."

"Are you _crazy_?" Weiss blurted, hand snapping around Ilia's wrist. "You'll get yourself killed fighting them alone!" She stared at Ilia with wide eyes, silently pleading her to change her mind.

Ilia only smiled sadly. "I don't have to win in a fight against them. I just have to stall long enough for your backup to get here."

"We can do the cell towers together." Weiss wasn't even thinking of what she said. "If I summon a Nevermore, we can get to the White Fang on time."

Except Ilia had seen Weiss summon before. She knew the strain it put on Weiss. Rather than say that, Ilia pulled Weiss closer, close enough to kiss.

Weiss accepted it, cupping Ilia's face and letting the electricity fly through her body. No matter what, she couldn't lose this.

"I'll be fine," Ilia said when they separated. She was still smiling. "You'll save me in time."

"How can you say that?" Weiss failed to keep the tears from her eyes. "How can you put so much trust in me?"

Ilia didn't respond. Instead, she turned and ran for the lab.

"Ilia!" Weiss called before she was out of earshot. When Ilia froze Weiss continued. "I trust you, too! That means I trust you to survive until I catch up!"

The only indication that Weiss had been heard was the change in Ilia's skin. It turned yellow, before Ilia forcefully made it camouflage. Then, she was gone.

Weiss was at the nearest cell tower in under a minute.

* * *

It was only after she camouflaged that Ilia let tears fill her own eyes. She meant what she'd told Weiss, but that didn't stop it from hurting so much when they separated.

 _How did we get here?_ she wondered. _How did I end up caring so much for a Schnee?_

She stopped herself from dwelling on it, instead putting all her focus into sprinting across the island. Merlot had no doubt contained the Goliath, wanting it to be one of his weapons against Beacon.

It was too much. Adam had gone overboard in his plans. At this rate, the carnage wouldn't stop at Beacon. All of Vale was at risk.

That last thought rang through Ilia's mind as she reached the clearing. It was an open field of grass on the right side of Merlot's lab. There were two Bullheads on the ground, with one still flying above. Dozens of cages littered the field, with an equal amount of White Fang standing guard.

The time for subtlety had long passed. Ilia made this clear when she lashed her whip around the neck of the nearest White Fang member, electrocuting him from his throat. He'd live but it wouldn't mean much when the SDC's private army arrived.

Ilia scowled. If there was any other option . . .

Gunfire came her way, but it didn't mean much with Ilia camouflaged. The sun had set, and the moon shone brightly in the sky. The darkness on the land meant little to Faunus night vision, but it let Ilia blend in easier. After dodging the first shots, she ducked behind a cage.

It wouldn't be long before she was spotted, so she struck the cage's lock, releasing the Beowolf inside.

White Fang came her way from every direction, except for one. The Beowolf was charging at a group, which frantically waved their weapons in response. With a leap, Ilia landed on the Beowolf's back. It made its displeasure known with a roar, spinning to throw Ilia off. With the extra momentum, Ilia jumped over the Faunus' heads, and onto another cage.

A shot struck her arm before she could release the Grimm inside, making her hiss in pain. She was forced to toss her whip to her other arm, blocking another shot in the process.

Shots came from all directions, but Ilia was ready. Her whip swung left, right, behind her, right again, then spun with her. Coming out of her spin, she lashed downward, finally releasing the Creep. It charged at the White Fang, stopping the Dust bullets from that direction.

Ilia gripped the cage, swinging inside it with enough force to knock it over. It created a shield from all angles, except from above. She ducked her head away from the incoming shots.

 _It's a game of cat and mouse,_ Ilia thought. _They'll fire at me the moment I come up._

She slammed into the left wall, knocking the cage down again. As she did so, she lashed with her whip, letting it catch the shots that had been fired. A Boar Faunus tried to grab her as she bolted out of the cage, but she spun around him, ensnaring his body with her whip. More shots came at her, which she ducked under the now unconscious body to avoid.

Kicking the grunt at the Faunus in front of her left only her sides exposed. She took a deep breath, waiting for the ping of gunfire.

It struck just as she leaped forward, causing Faunus from both sides to leap away from friendly fire.

Ilia continued to run forward, until a bullet stuck the cage next to her, burning away the lock. She backflipped just in time to avoid a claw.

An Ursa with green eyes stepped out of the cage, licking its teeth. One of the White Fang saw this as the perfect moment to charge at Ilia, sword unsheathed. Ilia stepped to the left, then slid under the Ursa when it threw itself at her. It turned as she popped behind it, but it was moving fast enough to crash into the grunt.

Ilia threw herself to the side to avoid more gunfire. That proved to be a mistake when the Ursa rushed at her. Her eyes widened even as she wrapped her weapon around the nearest cage, using it to pull herself away.

It was impossible to tell what was happening. Attacks came from all direction, with chaos as the only clear victor in this battle. There was no time to process her approaching enemies, because stopping for even a second would mean death.

Flip, spin, block a bullet, lash out, duck, elbow a Faunus, push him into another, duck another sword, trip someone with the whip. Ilia's body was on autopilot, moving at a speed someone outside the fight would have trouble keeping up with.

A quiet roar behind Ilia told her the Beowolf had been killed. The Creep was likely also dead. That left an Ursa, and too many White Fang grunts to count.

Ilia gripped her whip tighter.

 _Let's do this._

* * *

"Can you hear me?"

" _Who is this? How did you—"_

"It's Weiss."

" _M-Miss Schnee? You're alive? This is wonderful! Let me contact your father—"_

"No."

" _Miss Schnee?"_

"Is construction of the Eagle complete?

" _The Eagle? It was finished last week. It still needs to be tested, but—"_

"Track my scroll's location, and send a dozen soldiers and a Dust bomb. Tell them to drop the bomb over the largest building on the island. I'll be in this location for pick-up shortly after."

" _Miss Schnee, I cannot authorize—"_

"Tell me, has my father found anyone to blame for my death?"

" _N-no."_

"If you don't want to be responsible for the passing of a Schnee, I suggest you send that airship."

" _R-right away, Ma'am."_

* * *

Ilia's breath had been reduced to pants long ago. It was only years of practicing acrobatics that kept her from being hit too hard. Even then, her skin burned with over a dozen wounds. Her aura was pushing itself to its limits to keep her fighting.

The Ursa had fallen at some point during the battle, though Ilia wasn't sure when. That left the White Fang free to come at her from all directions, which Ilia was quickly getting tired of.

She jumped into the air to avoid another gunshot, planting her feet into a grunt on the way down. Ducking instinctively, she elbowed the next Faunus to swing at her, then headbutted another. Using her whip, she disarmed one of the remaining Faunus with a gun.

Another bullet struck her side. She gasped, nearly pressing a hand to the spot until another bullet came her way. She leaped away in time, but even that caused pain to echo throughout her body.

Her camouflage helped, but Adam hadn't sent new recruits on this mission. They knew how to track her footsteps, make out her outline, or even listen for where she was. If she had time to think about it, Ilia would have been proud of how long she'd lasted.

There were still at least three dozen experienced White Fang members facing her. How was she supposed to survive against that?

She couldn't and she knew that. Adam's words rang through her head.

" _When cornered, we will fight to our last breath. But if you get yourself killed in a pointless battle, then you never had a place among us to begin with."_

 _I've bought enough time. I have to get out of here._

A Faunus raised his gun, but Ilia was on top of him before he could fire. She trapped him in a grip, using one hand to control his arm. Pointing his gun at the largest of the cages, she fired.

No need to stay behind and see what she had released, though the roar told her plenty. She sprinted to the edge of the clearing, then pulled herself onto a tree branch with her whip. Gunfire followed her, which she had to duck behind the log to avoid. From there, the leapt to the next tree, grabbing onto it to the best of her ability.

Tree hopping wasn't nearly as easy as some movies made it look. The Faunus pursuing her with their gunfire only made things more difficult. Still, she went from tree to tree, her whip in one hand to block bullets when needed. It was a slow effort, one she never would have escaped with.

Fortunately, she didn't need to escape.

The white Nevermore descended on those that chased Ilia with a fury. It tore them apart with talons and beak, barely giving them enough time to scram.

With her pursuers dead, Ilia hopped onto the Nevermore. "I thought you weren't going to waste your aura summoning."

"The situation called for it," Weiss remarked in a flat tone. "Hold on tight!"

Ilia wrapped her arms around Weiss just as the Nevermore took to the sky. When it did, Ilia saw a speck in the distance.

"Is that our backup?" she asked.

"It is," Weiss confirmed. "We're getting back!"

The next few minutes consisted of wind roaring in Ilia's ears, the cold prickling her skin, and the feeling of Weiss keeping her anchored. The island rushing below them must have been an incredible sight, but Ilia didn't dare look down.

Finally, they landed at a familiar location. It was where the Bullhead had initially taken them from Mountain Glenn to Merlot's island. They landed beside the cell tower, Weiss creating a staircase of glyphs for them to climb down from.

An explosion rocked the island a moment later.

Considering the gravity of their fight, the explosion should have been more . . . climactic. Yet the rumble and smoke in the distance, along with a slight shaking below her, was the only sign that a Dust bomb had gone off.

And yet, Ilia knew what had happened at the blast radius. Where the lab once was, there was now no doubt a crater. Weiss and Ilia were likely the only living souls on the island.

Ilia suppressed a shiver at the thought.

 _No way Merlot stayed behind, not that he matters. Without his lab, he's worthless to Adam._

The roaring of engines grew closer, and this time Ilia couldn't help from shaking a little bit. Trusting Weiss was one thing; it came to her easily. Believing the Schnee staff wouldn't gut her the moment they knew who she was? To the White Fang, there were two things one did when they spotted a Schnee or a Schnee employee. Fight, or run.

Weiss put a hand on Ilia's shoulder, offering a soft smile. It wasn't enough to stop the churning in Ilia's gut, but it let her stare at the airship head on.

The vehicle was slim, yet long. There were three turrets on each side of it, and two on the front. It was mostly black, though it had white tips, adorned with the Schnee crest. Even if she were human, Ilia wouldn't want to go near such a weapon.

Yet, as the doors began open, Ilia met Weiss' gaze. There were a millions words behind those eyes, and Ilia wished she could stare at them longer. After giving Weiss a quick peck on the lips, quick enough not to be seen, Ilia turned back to the ship.

 _For the Faunus._

It was time to save Beacon. Or at least what was left of it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 — Resurrection**

* * *

Weiss stepped into the airship, just in time to see Penny be ripped apart.

The tournament had been queued up on one of the terminals, upon Weiss' request. She had thought, maybe, she could call her team. Warn them in time, maybe even direct them until she arrived at Beacon. Watching the remaining pieces of her friend fall to the floor, all of Weiss' plans were forgotten.

"Penny," she whispered. A part of her noted that Penny was a robot, but the revelation meant little when the light in her eyes faded.

It was then that the broadcast was interrupted.

" _This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident."_

Weiss' grip on Myrtenaster tightened.

"James," she barked, only remembering the pilot's name because it matched Ironwood's.

"What are your orders, Ma'am?" he asked.

Weiss refused to tear her eyes away from what was left of Penny. "Get us to Beacon. Now. I don't care if this ship is ripped apart in the process."

"Y-yes, Ma'am."

A hand on Weiss' shoulder kept her from digging her fingernails any deeper into her palm. When she turned, it was impossible to miss the concern on Ilia's face.

"Are you going to be okay?" Ilia asked.

Weiss' eyes darted to the soldiers standing near them, who were trying and failing to keep their eyes off the supposed dead girl and her unknown companion. If it weren't for their presence, she would have leaped into Ilia's arms.

Instead, Weiss took a deep breath. "I don't know.

"But when I find Cinder, she won't be."

* * *

The Paladin came at them with too much momentum to be stopped, but that didn't stop Blake from trying.

Blake shot her ribbon forward, wrapping it around the Atlas machinery. During her time in the White Fang, she had accepted that there would be a need to fight the most advanced technology Atlas could throw at them. She'd never thought she'd be fighting alongside fellow Huntsmen and Huntresses.

The ribbon had little effect on the Paladin, slowing it down a fraction of an inch. It was enough for Sun and Neptune to get away from its charge.

"Thanks!" Sun called. Blake nodded in response before firing at the robot. The bullets might as well have been spitballs.

Blake scowled. _I don't have time for this!_ While they were all distracted, the White Fang were tearing the school apart!

Breaking apart from the group was out of the question. They were barely holding out as it was. One fighter less, and they wouldn't last.

"Raaagh!" Yang barreled into the robot, punching it with all the force her Semblance allowed.

"Yang!" Blake called. She had been in their dorm when they'd last seen each other.

She'd made it, and not alone. Blake didn't recognize the two Huntsmen beside Yang, but with all three of them, the tide could be turned.

Blake looked toward the cafeteria, which was already in ruins. Despite that, White Fang members were running that way.

"I'll catch up!" Blake called, knowing Yang was too distracted to go after her at the moment. There were just too many threats to waste all their fighters on one.

 _I won't run. Not again._

* * *

Yang grit her teeth. She had no choice but to let Blake go. Not that it mattered, she thought, while denting the hand of the Paladin. She would be right behind Blake once the machine had been reduced to scrap.

And if anyone tried to hurt Blake? Yang would _destroy_ them.

* * *

Ruby had thought, when Torchwick captured her in Mountain Glenn, that she would never be as hopeless as she was in that moment, as long as she always had her weapon. Yet now, she had her weapon in hand, and she was the most hopeless she'd ever been.

That probably had something to do with how she was dangling off Ironwood's ship.

She looked below her at the swarm of Grimm invading Beacon. The black tide sweeping upon what had been her home for months was even darker than the night sky surrounding her. And with the robots overridden, the Grimm weren't even the biggest threat! Coming up here to stop the machines had made sense when Ruby had made the decision. But now . . .

The ringing of a blade against metal made Ruby wince, only for her eyes to widen when Neo pointed that blade at her. She would get out of this. She would beat them . . . somehow.

"Like it or not," Torchwick said as Ruby kicked a Griffon away, "the people that hired me are going to change the world." As he spoke, Ruby eyed a button on Neo's umbrella. Could it be that easy?"

"You can't stop 'em. I can't stop 'em!" Torchwick continued in that infuriating tone of his. "You know the old saying. If you can't beat 'em—"

Ruby reached up, pressing the button that opened Neo's umbrella. A gasp from the girl was the last Ruby heard of her before she was carried away by the wind.

"NEO!" Torchwick shouted, actual worry in his voice. Him? _Worried_? What right did he have? His plans had killed Weiss, and now the people he worked with had killed Penny! He was helping in the slaughter of hundreds of innocents, and he was _worried_?

Images flashed through Ruby's mind. Weiss, being flung of a train into a hoard of Grimm.

"I don't care what you say," Ruby growled, clawing her way back onto the ship.

Yang, all her spark drained away as she cried over being framed.

"We will stop them, and I will stop you."

Penny, torn into pieces while Mercury _smirked._

"BET ON THAT!"

* * *

"This is as far as I can take you. Jacques would have my head if I let SDC technology be seen in the middle of all this."

Weiss nodded at James' words. She would have demanded he bring them directly over Beacon, but any fear he may have had of her was far outweighed by fear of her father. As it was, she and Ilia had been dropped off at the outskirts of Beacon. And even then, Grimm rushed passed them, ignoring them in favor of the fear and despair coming from further inward.

"Return to Atlas," Weiss said. "We'll handle things from here."

She could see his hesitation. His eyes darted to Ilia beside Weiss, then to Weiss herself. What she could see of his face scrunched up, and he opened his mouth as though to speak.

He shut it, turning to the ship without another word. He stepped inside, the doors shutting behind him. A moment later, the whirring of the ship's engines drowned out all other noise. Weiss and Ilia watched in stoic silence as the ship took off, disappearing from sight.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked once they were alone.

Ilia turned toward her with an incredulous expression. "Am _I_ okay?"

Weiss nodded. "This," she waved her arm over the distant carnage, "is the White Fang's doing. Cinder, too, but she couldn't have done it by herself. How are you feeling?"

Ilia sighed, and Weiss could tell she would only get a glimpse at the whirring emotions going on inside her girlfriend. "I've accepted that the White Fang isn't the same group I joined," Ilia murmured. She looked down. "Or maybe I'm the one that's changed."

Weiss wrapped her arms around Ilia. "You're here now," she whispered. "That's all that matters."

Ilia smiled and returned the hug, but even up close, there was no missing the tears welling in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

For a minute, Beacon was forgotten. The Grimm, the White Fang, and Cinder were all distant worries. In Ilia's arms, Weiss didn't have to think about them. As long as she had that warm embrace to return to, she could handle anything.

If only it could last forever. They separated, with one last nod to each other.

"We stopped the major tide of mutated Grimm," Ilia said, "but Adam must have prepared some beforehand. They will be in the school by now."

"We'll deal with them," Weiss promised. "And we'll find my team, too. Blake would have gone after the White Fang."

"Do we split up?"

Weiss felt a pang at Ilia's question. They had parted far too often already. After all they'd been through, it would only make sense that they stay together until the end. But the Grimm and White Fang were two different threats. If they stuck together, Weiss and Ilia couldn't be everywhere at once.

"Stay safe?" Weiss tried to make it a statement, but couldn't hide the plea in her voice. Ilia's eyes softened, and she leaned in to peck Weiss on the lips.

Weiss grasped Ilia's shoulders, pulling her in. Ilia barely had time to gasp before Weiss slammed their lips together. Not that Ilia had any protests, leaning deeper into Weiss and returning the kiss with the same ferociousness Weiss felt. Weiss' legs almost gave out beneath her. She wrapped her arms around Ilia, clutching the girl like a lifeline.

They said no words when the separated, only taking off. Side by side, the sprinted to Beacon, the sounds of destruction getting closer, until they burst into the field behind the school.

"The cafeteria," Ilia gasped. "It would be the perfect place to draw someone out."

Weiss knew what Ilia was thinking. _Blake wouldn't fall for that, would she?_

Weiss couldn't take the risk. With one final nod to Ilia, she headed in that direction, while Ilia ran for the tower.

Time blurred, and the cafeteria was suddenly in sight. Weiss' focus returned to her at the sight of it, just in time for her to hear a feminine scream.

"Blake!" Weiss blurted, but her voice was drowned out by another scream. Not of pain, but of pure _rage._

With a push from her gauntlets, Yang Xiao Long launched herself toward the deadly terrorist hovering over Blake.

 _No!_ Weiss had just stepped in to view, only making out the distinct shapes of her friends and enemy, but she could tell what was about to happen. She knew Yang well enough, and Ilia had warned Weiss about Adam.

Yang wouldn't come out of this in one piece.

The glyph formed behind Weiss without conscious thought. Weiss was almost taken by surprise when the Alpha Beowolf came out of it and smacked her with all its might, turning her into a human cannonball.

Weiss had no time dilation in place, but time slowed regardless. Yang's flying form grew closer, enough for Weiss to make out the volcanic rage erupting from the other girl. She also could see the neutral grin on Adam's.

 _I won't let you hurt her!_

Weiss drew her sword, just as Adam swung his.

* * *

The mutated Ursa roared with enough fury to make Ilia cover her ears. That nearly cost her her life, the claw swipe missing her neck by mere centimeters.

This was right. More right than anything she had done in years. The White Fang had claimed justice, but they didn't truly care about the Faunus. If they had, they wouldn't have dumped these killing machines on a school where Faunus trained to be better. They wouldn't slaughter innocents for nothing but their own spite.

Ilia's whip struck the center of the Ursa, which proved to be the end of the beast's limits. With one final whimper, it collapsed.

 _I won't lie to myself any longer. I won't fight for my own selfish desires. I'll fight for people like Weiss. For those that will put_ anything _aside to defend this world._

 _I won't let Adam deceive me again._

Another mutated Grimm went down to Ilia's assault. The field wasn't overflowing with them like it once would have, but those that remained could still bring down an unsuspecting Huntsman. Among those fighting, Weiss and Ilia were the only ones who knew what the mutated Grimm were truly capable of.

 _All the better that Adam will leave Merlot to rot after what we did to his lab._

Ilia finally made it to the courtyard, weapon ready to strike at any threats.

There weren't any. Just a rocket locker flying above her, and a red-headed girl running into the tower.

 _What was that about?_ It took her a moment to decide, but Ilia ran after the girl. If there were more threats _inside_ the tower, Ilia wouldn't leave her to fight them alone.

It didn't matter. Ilia barely stepped into the lobby before the elevator launched upward, despite clearly having no support.

Ilia bit her lip. What was going on?

* * *

 _This is my fault._

That was all Blake could think as Yang flew through the air, intent on punching Adam's face in. She had no chance, throwing herself at him like that. Adam was ready for her, and that meant he could . . .

Blake closed her eyes, knowing it would do nothing to stop what came next, nor would it stop the image from coming to her head. She awaited the sound of metal cutting flesh.

Her eyes flung open when she instead heard two metal blades strike one another.

"What?" Adam shouted, attention snapping to the newcomer, who landed before him. Yang flew further, landing beside Blake. Crouching beside her, they both stared in awe at the one who now stood between them and Adam.

Her clothes were tattered, her hair a mess, her frame even thinner than before, and her _everything_ covered in dirt. Weeks ago, the girl would have been mortified at the state of herself.

Now, Weiss Schnee brandished her weapon, a glyph forming beneath her.

"W- _Weiss_?" Yang blurted. Blake couldn't even do that. The ghost, person, _Weiss_ in front of them had practically taken away her thought.

"Schnee," Adam growled, his own weapon sheathed, yet ready for combat. "I had heard rumors that some of my men fought you in those tunnels. I'd dismissed them as foolishness driven by paranoia. Not that it matters. You have come here far too late to stop me."

Blake had to be hearing things, because Weiss _laughed_ at Adam's taunt.

"Stop you?" Weiss asked. _Weiss_ asked. Weiss was alive!

"I'm not here to stop you, Adam," Weiss said, and even Blake could see the deadly grin on her face that formed from Adam's confusion. "I've spent weeks crawling through the lowest this world has to offer. I've almost died a hundred times over. I dropped a bomb on your men, and you think I'm here to _stop you_?"

Weiss shook her head, and the glyph below her started to spin faster.

"Adam Taurus, I'm not here to stop you. I'm here to _kill you_!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 — Blood**

* * *

 _There's no way up. She's on her own._

Ilia sighed, giving the elevator one last look before leaving the tower. There were too many Grimm, too many people fighting for their lives, for Ilia to focus on one girl.

She ran forward, intent on returning to the city, when a Nevermore descended in front of her. Ilia covered her face from the wind, so it took her a moment to notice the green tips on its wings. With a scowl, she prepared her whip.

"I wouldn't, if I were you."

Ilia froze at the voice, coming from the Nevermore's talon. She narrowed her eyes, spotting the speaker on it.

"Merlot," Ilia said with a frown.

"I'm one lab short because of you," he said, and the Nevermore lunged forward. Ilia barely threw herself out of the way, landing hard on her side. She rose with a wince. "Maybe I should let my experiment run free. Controlling it isn't easy, you know. Especially with all my equipment ruined."

"I can handle a single Nevermore." Ilia punctuated the words by lashing her whip forward. It bounced off the Nevermore's stomach like steel, making Ilia nearly lose her grip. The Nevermore made an ear piercing noise, and began to lunge forward before abruptly stopping. How much control did Merlot have?

"In time, you could," Dr. Merlot admitted. "But believe it or not, I didn't come here to fight you. I'm here to thank you."

 _He loves to hear his own voice,_ Ilia thought. But the words still made her frown. "Thank me?"

"Yes. It was the White Fang's incompetence that destroyed my lab, not my own. And since your presence created a greater rush, many of my experiments still made it out here. Their work has been so devastating, I'm sure to get a seat among _her_ eliete."

 _Her?_ Ilia almost asked, before shaking her head. There wasn't any time for this. Especially with the Nevermore squirming, eager to tear Ilia apart.

"So you'll let me pass," she said, already stepping forward. The question barely left her mouth, when a _dragon_ passed over her head and started to circle the tower. Beacon needed her help, now.

"Sending my experiment on an unsuspecting Huntsman will be far more effective in impressing the Queen."

Again with the vague terms. Not that it mattered, since one part of what he had said stuck out.

"You just wanted to gloat," Ilia said. "Now you want to let me by so your Nevermore can kill more people."

She could _hear_ the smile in Merlot's voice when he spoke. "Will you let that happen?"

He made no sense. What were his ambitions? Who was this Queen? And why play these games?

Did Ilia care?

She wrapped her whip around the Nevermore's talon, then planted her feet into the ground. When she pulled, the Nevermore took a step forward. Its beak fell to swallow Ilia whole, but she leaped away before it could.

A dragon overhead, a Nevermore to face, and a thousand Grimm to fight afterward.

Ilia was ready.

 _Weiss, please stay safe. I'll be waiting for you when this is all over._

* * *

Silence followed her words. In the distance, there was fighting and carnage, the echoes of which reached Weiss' ears. In that room, it was all far away. There was only the four of them: Blake and Yang crouched behind Weiss, Adam before her with his weapon ready, and Weiss herself, glyph still spinning below her.

The moment seemed to last for an eternity, before Adam broke it with a chuckle.

"So," he said, " the Schnee finally shows her true colors."

"You have no ground to stand on!" Weiss snapped. "My family may have oppressed your kind, but you have slaughtered hundreds of innocents. You would sacrifice both species to the Grimm!"

"Enough!" Adam barked. "It's time I finished what was started the day of the Breach. Your blood will stain this room."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Try it."

She activated the time dilation glyph below her, just as Adam threw himself forward. His sword slashed for her stomach, a move that would have taken a heavy chunk of her aura. Weiss twisted out of the way, then stabbed forward with Myrtenaster.

The weapon struck skin, making Adam's aura crinkle. He spun around, seemingly faster now that the time dilation had ended.

Weiss' eyes widened as the pommel of his blade shot toward her, released from its sheath. She slid to the side thanks to her glyph, but the pommel still struck her left cheek, snapping her head back.

Adam _moved_. Weiss straightened her head, and he was on her, sword swiping for her legs. She let him trip her, catching herself with a glyph which launched her into the air. Up or down didn't seem to matter to Adam, who jumped after her.

He was above her in an instant, foot falling to kick her down. Weiss parried with her blade, but the force still increased her velocity. With a flip forward, she landed on her feet. When Adam landed, it was directly in front of her. They were too close to use their weapons.

Not that they needed them. They both kicked out, legs connecting in mid-air. Rather than stop, Weiss flipped over Adam's leg, getting close enough to elbow him. Adam grunted when Weiss connected with his stomach.

A blur of motion, then stars filled Weiss' vision, her cheek stinging. Adam had backhanded her, then jumped away. And now—

Weiss' sword practically flew in her attempts to block Adam's strike. Pushing his sword back, she thrust forward, only to be blocked herself. This lasted for a few moments, both attempting to strike the other to only be met with steel, until Adam turned. Weiss followed his gaze, just in time to see Yang charging in.

Adam's blade was red, and he was swinging forward. Weiss didn't even think before forming the glyph before them. An Ursa crawled out of it just in time to take the Semblance fused slice meant for Yang.

"Stay back!" Weiss ordered.

"But—" Blake started, picking herself up while clutching her stomach.

"Do it!" Weiss struck Adam, forcing him to keep his attention on her. She jumped back from another slice. "I'll be fine!"

 _I'm more used to fighting exhausted than you two._ And they _were_ exhausted. Maybe not as much as Weiss, but their minds would be frazzled from their friend dying. From Beacon being destroyed. They hadn't been able to prepare.

Neither of them could have had much aura left. Weiss refused to come all this way just to lose them.

"I can't leave you again!" Blake protested. "I won't run!"

"Yang." Weiss met Yang's gaze. No time to convince Blake on her own. "Please."

She had to turn quickly to parry an attack from Adam. She leaped into the air, catching herself on a glyph. That glyph then sent her plummeting down. Adam pulled back, but not before her sword grazed him.

It hadn't been for long, but whatever Yang had seen in Weiss' eyes was enough. When Weiss turned, she was carrying Blake to the entrance, safe but ready to rush back in.

 _Thank you,_ Weiss thought.

"Being brave won't help you, Schnee," Adam growled. He had gained distance between them, and was now pointing his sheath at Weiss.

"Look out!" Blake called, just as a bullet shot out of Adam's gun. Weiss cried out as it struck her left arm. Her instinct was to clutch the wound, but instead she switched her sword to her other hand, creating a glyph behind her in the process.

 _Thank you, Eagle,_ Weiss thought. The Dust from the ship had been perfect for restocking after she had lost all hers in the explosion. Now, it let her shoot fireballs at Adam to slow him down.

Or not. He sprinted forward, swinging at the fireball to dissipate it. He did the same with the second , then he was in range.

With no time to block, Weiss slammed her sword into the ground. The ice Dust clicked into place just in time, creating a wall of ice between them.

Adam cut through it in an instant. Even behind his mask, Weiss could make out his glower.

Glyphs formed in the air around them. Rather than jump to any of them, Weiss ran toward Adam. She flipped over him, slicing down in the process. As expected, Adam blocked, then spun to slam his sword down on Weiss.

Weiss twirled out of the way, and it instead struck the ground. The force was enough to send ice chunks from the wall flying _into_ the glyphs.

Weiss grinned.

Ice flew from all direction straight for Adam. He ducked, raising his sword over his head to avoid most of it. Some pieces still struck him, though, and the shout he made was music to Weiss' ears.

 _Can't let up._ Weiss flew forward, intent on running Adam through, or block his blade if needed.

She did neither, because Adam didn't swing for her. He swung the ground beneath them, sending shards of stone into Weiss' face. She covered her eyes with her arm, while forming a glyph beneath her.

Weiss couldn't see, but she still knew what Adam was planning. As she launched herself up with the glyph, she felt his sword brush the air below her.

Adam shot her again, before she could create another glyph. Weiss screamed before hitting the ground with enough force to make her body rattle. Through her blurred vision, she saw Adam holding his sword above her, ready to stab down.

Someone shouted her name. That was enough for Weiss to snap back into clarity. She rolled away from the strike, making a glyph raise Adam into the air.

He jumped off of it, trying to stab down again. This time, Weiss countered with her arm, knocking Adam's sword out of the way. It struck next to her, and the position left Adam open. That cost him when Weiss thrusted forward, stabbing his stomach.

"Die!" Adam bellowed. His sheath lashed forward, smacking Weiss in the face. He followed up with a sword slice that knocked her back to the ground.

Another strike would have ended the fight. With that in mind, Weiss rolled backward as she fell, landing on her hands and feet. She wasn't as acrobatic as Blake, but she was still able to jump back from Adam's follow up attack, straightening in the process.

Weiss stopped for one second to gasp for air. It was all Adam needed to get close to her again, foot lashing out. Blocking in that moment would have let him overpower her. Luckily, Weiss didn't have to block.

Adam's leg stopped mid motion, encased in ice. His weapon was still raised to stop Weiss, or slice down at the ice if he saw an opportunity. Even as he was, Adam would be ready for her.

Weiss didn't go after him. Instead, she jumped over him with another glyph, flying with enough force to land in front of Yang and Blake. When she landed, Adam was already free and running at them.

"Fire at him with everything you've got," Weiss hissed. "You just need to slow him down."

Blake and Yang didn't hesitate to unload on Adam. Gunfire surrounded Weiss, as did the sound of bullets striking steel, and Adam's sprint forward. It only stopped briefly when he had to jump away from one of the gunshots.

Weiss closed her eyes, draining the last of her aura into the glyph behind her. It grew larger and larger, while Adam kept drawing closer.

Finally, he was on all three of them. He grinned, already making the motion to use his Semblance and cut them all in half.

The slice rushed to them, only to fall apart when it struck a giant, white blade.

"What is this?!" Adam shouted. It was the last thing he said before the blade swung down, cutting him down the middle. Aura cracked, then fell apart. The rest of his body followed a moment later, hitting the floor with two separate thumps. A puddle of blood was quick to form around his remains.

Weiss' summon, the giant sword from her knight, dissolved a moment later. And with that, Weiss was free to fall unconscious.

* * *

 **A/N: I haven't done one of these recently, so I want to say a few things. Mainly, I want to thank all of you for your support. Your reviews have been so kind, and I look forward to posting each chapter and getting to read them. It means the world to me that you all took the time to not only read, but also give your thoughts on the story. Of course, I equally appreciate those of you who silently read. Thank you so much for reading!**

 **This story is nearing its conclusion, but there's a lot to wrap up here. I know many of you want to see more Ilia and Weiss relationship stuff, and I promise you'll get it. We just have to do reunions and fallout from the Fall of Beacon first. There should be one or two more chapters before the epilogues. Plural, because I have two epilogues planned. One focused on team RWBY, and one on Weiss and Ilia.**

 **I hope you'll all stick with me to the end, because I'm very excited for it.**

 **Oh, and if you want to support my writing, I've published two books. The 46K word novella I wrote is the favorite of my stories, and the E-book is only $2.99. Please check it out on Amazon, even if it's just to read the free preview. Just search " _Servants of the Shines_ by Brian Krewson."**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13—Never Again**

* * *

Ilia didn't even notice Blake and Yang crouched in the cafeteria. When she came in sight of the building, her gaze focused only on the girl unconscious between them.

"Weiss!" she blurted, rushing into the cafeteria. She was forced to bring her attention to the others when they stood between her and Weiss. They looked as bad as Ilia felt, but they still drew their weapons. Blake, however, froze halfway when she recognized who was running toward her.

"Ilia?" Blake asked. "This . . . this is real? You and Weiss actually survived?"

Ilia nodded. "It's a long story. But what happened to Weiss?"

Blakes eyes darted to the girl behind her, then back to Ilia. "I—"

All three of them jumped at a sudden ring. When their hearts stopped racing, Yang scowled and pulled out her scroll.

"It's Jaune," she said. She looked toward Blake. "You know this girl?"

"I do," Blake said.

"Can we trust her?"

Rather than respond to Yang's question, Blake looked at Ilia.

"I can't defend what the White Fang did tonight," Ilia whispered. "I've fought them at every turn since the train, and I can never support their cause again."

Blake, somehow too paranoid and too trusting at the same time, stared into Ilia's eyes. Whatever she saw there, it was enough for her to step aside, letting Ilia crouch next to Weiss.

 _You look terrible,_ Ilia thought. Her dress barely clung to her frame, which was far skinnier than when she had put it on. Blood—Adam's—mixed with dirt that was weeks old. Then there was her face. The lines of exhaustion showed even in her sleep, and her breathing was that of someone who had run a marathon without aura. If she had been wearing black, Ilia wouldn't have blamed someone for mistaking her for a Grimm.

Not that Ilia looked much better. How long had they been away from civilization now? Surviving in the dirt and on limited rations? Ilia could barely remember life before that day on the train, even though it was barely a month ago. If that.

"You two were together this whole time?" Blake asked.

"We were stranded." Ilia's voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper. It was all she could manage. "We couldn't get back to the tracks safely, so we had to go underground. We learned what Adam was planning, and rushed to stop it." She sighed. "Guess we were too late."

Ilia jolted at the unexpected contact on her shoulder. When she looked up, Blake was reaching down with a soft smile. "You kept her safe. You saved all of us. Thank you."

The weight of all that had happened had already caught up to Illia, but it was that act—Blake showing Ilia support despite everything, that finally opened the dam. Ilia pulled Blake down and wrapped her arms around her old crush, burying her head in her shoulder.

 _It's over,_ she thought. _We might not have stopped the tragedy, but we made it. We limited the damage Merlot could do. We kept the White Fang from ruining the Faunus' reputation._

That wasn't entirely true. There would be damage, with the White Fang seen letting Grimm—even normal ones—into the school. Still, with Merlot's monsters limited in number, the destruction was at least contained to the school. If those _things_ had spread . . . Ilia shuddered at the thought.

"It's Jaune," Yang said. Ilia hadn't even noticed her back away to take the call, or return. She pulled away from Blake, who stood up.

"What's going on?"

"Pyrrha," Yang said. "She went after Cinder on top of the tower."

Ilia's eyes widened, and she forced herself to stand. After one more glance at Weiss, she spoke. "This girl, could she move an elevator that's damaged and missing support cables?"

Yang raised an eyebrow. "She can. Why?"

Ilia's stomach fell. "I saw her, but there was no way to reach her. I was going to get Weiss' help, but by the time I got here—"

A loud crash had them rushing outside, Yang carrying Weiss. They made it out just in time to see the last pieces of the headmaster's office fall from the tower, having been rammed into by a dragon.

Ilia's eyes found the floor. "It was too late."

* * *

Ruby stumbled at the boom of thunder, almost getting her head ripped off by a Beowolf in the process.

She barely ducked out of the way, then sliced the Beowolf in half. Wiping sweat from her brow, she saw that the noise hadn't been thunder. The source was easy to spot, being a giant dragon emerging from where it had crashed into Ozpin's office.

Ruby's eyes widened, and her lip trembled. Jaune, Pyrrha, Blake, Yang. They were all still missing. What if they were up there?

 _No. Remember what Velvet said. She saw Yang run to the cafeteria._

Despite every impulse of her body screaming otherwise, Ruby ran in the opposite direction of the tower, instead heading for her teammates. She'd already lost one, she could lose more. Still, she couldn't help feel as though she were making a mistake.

That was, until she reached the cafeteria and saw those standing just outside. Blake and some other girl walked on either side of Yang, helping her support the girl in her arms.

When Ruby saw the unconscious figure, her eyes widened, and her hands flew to her mouth.

"Weiss!"

* * *

Waking was a slow process. She would fade in and out of consciousness, only getting glimpses of the world around her.

A white room. Concerned voices. The ring of a machine. All unknown, all equally frightening.

And yet, Weiss didn't feel afraid. Through all of that, there was one voice. And while it wasn't the only familiar one, this one was warm. It gave Weiss that same feeling her mother's voice had as a child.

As long as that voice was near, Weiss would never be afraid, or alone, ever again.

* * *

Finally, her eyes opened. Her vision was blurry, but she could still make out the room around her. It was a hospital room, though not Beacon's. It was a standard hospital, likely on the outskirts of Vale. One designed to take in Huntsmen and Huntresses injured after leaving Vale's borders.

Faintly, she could hear a rush of voices, none of which she recognized. How busy was the hospital?

It was that thought which got Weiss' mind back on track. Of course, every hospital would be crowded after—

Weiss gasped, her body jolting. The noise, along with the movement, was enough to wake the girl clutching Weiss' hand.

"Ilia?" Weiss asked, tightening her grip on Ilia's hand. Ilia blinked drowsily at first, until she recognized Weiss' voice.

"Weiss!" Before Weiss could register it, she was locked in a hug with Ilia. It was only when there was no smell of grime to follow the embrace that Weiss realized it had always been there before.

 _To think, I had gotten used to that._ The faint scent of perfume on Ilia, along with the casual shirt and pants she wore, far better suited Weiss' tastes.

Ilia hadn't been the only one cleaned, though. Someone must have washed Weiss while she was unconscious, because she felt more human than she had in months. Even being in a hospital gown, and still drowsy herself, was a hundred times better than being stranded in those underground tunnels.

"How long has it been?" Weiss asked.

Ilia separated from the embrace. "It's been two days since the Fall of Beacon," she said. "Your aura needed time to recover, so it left your body unconscious."

Weiss nodded, accepting the explanation. Then, the events that had caused her aura to deplete in the first place came back to her.

"Blake and Yang!" she finally found the strength to sit up. "Are they okay?"

Ilia raised her arm to ease Weiss down if she stood, but it proved to be unnecessary. "They're okay," she said. She lowered her eyes, and the next word came out as a whisper. "But . . ."

"But?" Weiss asked.

Ilia was spared having to respond when the door slammed open, and once again Weiss was dragged into a hug. That seemed to be happening a lot recently.

"Weiss, I'm so sorry!" The words came out in a tidal wave, and Weiss was barely able to keep track of them. "I'm sorry I exploded at orientation! I'm sorry I didn't take my homework seriously! I'm sorry I fed Zwei your breakfast that one time! I should have been a better partner! If I had been a better leader . . . I'm sorry!"

"Ruby!" Weiss said, because who else could it be? "It's okay! I'm fine, and I don't care about any of that." She wrapped her arms around Ruby. "Are you okay?"

Ruby squeaked. "Am _I_ okay? You died!"

Weiss smiled. "It seems the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Really, Ruby. Ilia told you what happened, didn't she?"

Ruby nodded, almost knocking Weiss' head back in the process. "We should have gone back and searched more! I'm sor—"

"Alright, that's enough," Weiss said, pushing Ruby back. She smiled at seeing Blake and Yang behind her. "I'm glad you're all okay."

"Thanks to you," Yang said, putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder. She mimed speaking with her hand and raised her pitch. "'I'm not here to stop you. I'm here to kill you!' You always have to be overly dramatic, don't you, Ice Queen?"

Weiss snorted. "Don't be jealous because you're not as amazing as me."

Yang put a hand on her chest, leaning back dramatically. "Excuse me?"

Blake pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "This is our first time talking in over a month. Can we try to be serious?"

"I don't know," Ilia remarked. "That doesn't seem much like you four."

"Weiss!" Ruby leaped out of Yang's grip to stand beside Weiss. "You have a girlfriend now? Awesome!"

Were Weiss any less tired, her response would have been different. Now, she smiled. "She is."

"A Schnee and a White Fang member together." Blake seemed in awe at the thought. "You do know what that will mean in the future, right? When you were admitted into this hospital, they contacted Jacques immediately."

Weiss sighed, taking a moment to look around the hospital. Focusing, she could hear all the voices outside her room, no doubt nurses rushing to take care of Huntsmen and Huntresses injured while defending Beacon.

"I've had plenty of time to think of how to deal with my father," she said. "It will be fine." She met Ilia's eyes and nodded. After a moment, Ilia nodded back.

"As for everything else," Weiss said, "we'll figure it out."

"I'm so glad you're here," Ruby said. "Especially after—" She paled.

"Penny," Weiss whispered.

"And Pyrrha," Blake said, her voice almost as low.

Weiss jerked at the name, her eyes widening. "Pyrrha?"

"I'm sorry." Ilia had spoken the words, and Weiss turned her way. "I saw her go after Cinder, but I couldn't chase her. By the time I found your teammates, it was too late."

Pyrrha . . . Pyrrha was dead. Weiss couldn't even begin to process the thought. She hadn't just approached Pyrrha that first day out of selfishness. She had truly respected the warrior, and in time, came to be close friends with her. Her connection with Pyrrha, while not on the same level with that of her team, was still one Weiss treasured. She liked to believe Pyrrha had felt the same.

"I need more rest," Weiss said. "Can you guys . . ."

Yang, fortunately, got the message, grabbing Ruby with one arm and Blake with the other. "Come on, guys. Let's get something to eat."

They left, but Ilia, bless her, stayed behind.

"Do you need anything?" she asked.

Weiss shook her head. "Nothing, except maybe . . . she shifted to the left side of her bed. "Stay with me?"

Ilia smiled and climbed into the bed beside Weiss. The moment she was settled, Ilia started stroking Weiss' hair.

"I'm here for you," Ilia whispered.

Weiss smiled. There would be time later to grieve for what she had lost: her school, her friends, and the time she could have spent with them. Now was the time to treasure what she still had. Her team had survived, and their bonds would grow to be stronger than ever. Weiss' girlfriend was by her side, and Weiss was prepared to give up everything she had left in Atlas for her.

She would never be a victim again.

"I know."

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter ended up tying the story together nicer than I was expecting. I mentioned there would be two epilogues before, but I'm thinking one will be enough, since I don't want to drag out the conclusion. This chapter could be considered the ending of the story, but for those of you who want to see more romance, along with an idea of where Weiss and Ilia's journey may take them after this story, look forward to the Epilogue.**

 **Oh, and for those curious, I do have an idea for a sequel, but no plans to write it anytime soon. College has taken up much of my writing time, and I still need to work on other fics and original stories. Still, I hope to return to this story someday.**


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

"You three don't have to follow me, you know."

As if to punctuate her words, Weiss increased her stride, putting her slightly ahead of her teammates. Of course, they simply walked faster to keep up with her.

"Aww come on, Weiss!" Yang said. "Didn't you miss us?"

"I did," Weiss confirmed. As she did so, she eyed the buildings around her, looking for any potential threat. "But now isn't really the best time . . ." The reminder made her pick at her dress. She _refused_ to ask her teammates if she looked good. She _wasn't_ that insecure.

"Don't worry, Weiss!" Ruby said. "Ilia won't get the wrong idea seeing us!"

Weiss glared at her, keeping it soft enough to show she wasn't serious. "It's not that! I'm just . . . not used to _revealing_ myself to other people.

Poor word choice, and Yang seized the opportunity. "Ohhh." She leaned forward, an infuriating smirk on her face. "Can't even wait for us to leave before getting saucy, eh?" Blake elbowed her. "Ow!"

"We're just looking out for you, Weiss," Blake said. "It makes us feel better to be nearby after all that's happened. Especially with how the city is right now."

Weiss conceded that point to her, and once again she looked at every corner of the Vale city street. Any one of them could be hiding a Grimm.

She sighed. Vale wasn't an easy place to live in right now, especially considering the dragon nearby. Weiss could see it, in the distance, hovering over Beacon. It drew Grimm to the school, Grimm which passed through Vale. Sure, it was only the occasional Grimm, but it was enough that many citizens had chosen to evacuate. These days, half the people Weiss saw walking down the street would have a weapon with them.

Weiss still preferred it over Atlas, and she wouldn't go back yet, not until she had done her part to help. What was her father going to do, disown her? After her miraculous survival? The media would run rampant with that.

 _You'll antagonize him for when you get back,_ a small voice reminded her. The rest of her said she'd be fine. If her plan went well, Ilia would've by her side. And it _would_ go well. Weiss refused any alternative.

"Will you all be fine in Menagerie?" Weiss asked. She had mentioned her plan to her team, and Blake said she had been meaning to return home. That Weiss needed the support of the White Fang on her side only further convinced Blake.

"We'll be fine!" Ruby assured her. "We'll go to Menagerie, get support there, then head to Mistral and see what's up. Piece of cake."

"Yeah," Yang added. "We've got this." Her expression sombered. "But you're sure you can't come with us?"

Weiss sighed. _We just reunited, and already I have to leave them again._

"I'm sorry," she said. "Ilia's White Fang faction will need my support," Weiss said. "We're actually going to be planning our next step today."

Yang made a face. "Talking about work on the first date? Bleh."

"Well," Weiss said with a smile, "we'll have plenty of time for more. Speaking of which . . ."

They stopped outside the cafe. Weiss could see Ilia inside, already seated. The sight of her in jeans and a gray shirt made Weiss' heart skip a beat, and her blue and red skirt suddenly felt inadequate.

Weiss turned to her teammates and opened her arms. They shared amused smiles before accepting the group hug.

"I missed you guys so much," Weiss said. "Ilia is the best girlfriend I could ask for, but you're my team. My family."

"Aww, Weiss, that's so sweet!" Ruby couldn't help but shout.

Weiss rolled her eyes and pushed them away. "Alright, the moment's ruined. Get going. See you tonight?"

"Of course," Blake said.

"Definitely," Yang added.

"I'll prepare snacks!" Ruby rushed off to do just that.

"Ruby, wait!" Yang called out. She shook her head before running that way. "See you later, Weiss!"

Weiss met the eyes of her last teammate. Blake nodded. She was ready for what would come next, even if it meant facing her past.

Weiss entered the cafe to the sound of footsteps running off behind her. Her steps brought her to a table in the corner of the room. The moment Ilia entered her vision, she froze. Ilia's ponytail was elegant without the girl even trying, and the spots on her skin were worth gushing over on their own. How had Weiss been lucky enough to find such a perfect girlfriend?

Ilia smiled, and the world itself was held in that expression. "You look beautiful," Ilia said as she rose from the chair.

Weiss gave Ilia a soft smile of her own. "I was going to say the same to you."

They embraced, probably for far longer than necessary. In that moment, Weiss decided that she would never get tired of Ilia's hugs.

They eventually separated, though not before a few kisses were exchanged. When they sat down, Weiss didn't bother looking at the menu, having already chosen her meal ahead of time.

"How are things with the White Fang?" Weiss asked.

Ilia sighed taking a sip of her water. "I have everyone I trust looking for the remnants of Adam's faction. They're accepting my rule, and even toning down the violence, but no one likes the idea of going to Atlas."

"I figured such," Weiss said. "But if we join the Vale and Atlas branches into a peaceful group, they'll get the change they want."

"Are you sure your father will let you get away with endorsing us?" Ilia asked. At Weiss' mischievous grin, she shook her head. "You already have a plan, don't you?"

"Let's just say that thanks to my sister, I've been in contact with General Ironwood. This will work. In fact, I may want to talk to the Faunus you've gathered soon. A sign of trust will go a long way."

"You've got it all figured out," Ilia said, putting her hand on Weiss'. "We'll talk more about it later. Let's enjoy our meal."

A waiter came, and they ordered. No matter what the meal's quality was, Weiss would give him a massive tip for staying in the dangerous city.

Waiting for their meal, Ilia and Weiss exchanged stories. Weiss told Ilia of the trouble she got into in the manor, while Ilia introduced Weiss to a more natural side of the White Fang, where they would drink and play games. Hearing Ilia's stories, Weiss swore to restore the White Fang to what it once was.

Their talking continued into the meal, and it went by in a flash. Soon, they were exiting the cafe and walking on the street, arms linked together.

"To the park?" Weiss asked. Ilia nodded her agreement.

For a minute, they walked in silence, content with simply being by each other's sides. There was one question Weiss wanted to ask though, and after milling it over in her head, she broke the silence.

"Why me?" she asked.

"Hm?" Ilia turned to face Weiss.

"What made you fall in love with me of all people?"

Ilia's eyes widened. "Do you even need to ask? You're beautiful, Weiss. Not just physically. You gave me a chance despite me being your family's sworn enemy. You trusted me with who you really were, when I wouldn't even talk to you at first. I still can't believe you didn't hate me."

"I could never hate you!" Weiss separated their arm link so that she could grasp Ilia's hand between the two of hers. "Even when we fought, it was clear there was more to you. Every action screamed you were hurt, and I wanted to help you."

Ilia put her other hand over Weiss'. "That's why I love you."

"Ilia . . ." Weiss blinked away the tears that had formed in her eyes. "I love you. I'll never stop saying that. I love you so much."

Ilia smiled. "Come on," she said. "The park's right around the corner."

She was right. They turned the corner, and made it to an open field, the sunset blazing before them. They held hands and sat on the field together.

"I never thought," Weiss said. "That I would be glad to have been stranded for so long." She met Ilia's gaze, hoping the other girl could see the sincerity in her eyes. "I would do it all again, as long as I had you at the end of it all."

Ilia giggled. "Stop it. Since when were you one to throw out cheesy lines? You're lucky they're working."

In response, Weiss pecked Ilia on the lips. "The closest I've gotten to romance were forced relationships by my father. I just . . . need to prove that this is different."

"Weiss . . ." Ilia leaned in for another kiss, this one lasting far longer than the previous ones. That moment alone was better than any she had experienced in over seventeen years. It meant more than any gift on her birthdays, any time Klein had tucked her into bed. It was even greater than when she had realized how much she cared for her team. It was a moment that Weiss wanted to last an eternity. Just the two of them, free from the stress the future would bring.

"So," Ilia said when they separated. They still kept their arms wrapped around each other, and Weiss repositioned herself to be sitting in Ilia's lap. "We reform the White Fang in Vale, challenge and change the branch in Atlas, gain enough support to back Mistral, and stop our enemies' plans before they can cause any more damage. You sure know how to treat your girlfriend."

"Do you think we can do it?" Weiss asked, real concern in her voice. She had no illusions of her position in the world. She and Ilia were only two people, with far less power than those who controlled the world.

Ilia tightened her grip on Weiss. "We can," she said. "Together."

It was true. No matter what came next, the two of them would be together. If one ever fell, the other would be there to pick them up. That's what love was. Unending care and support for each other.

Weiss and Ilia were seemingly opposites. They should have had every reason to hate each other. But it was what truly mattered that made them alike. The worlds they came from may have been different, but the effects those worlds had on them were the same. They had been left broken, but better for it. And that had created a bond which would never break.

Whatever challenges came next, they would face head on.

That, they promised.

* * *

 **A/N: I've already said most I needed to in the last two chapters, so I'm just going to say thanks so much for reading, and for the incredible feedback. I really enjoyed bringing this story to you guys and reading your reviews. It means the world to me that you all gave this story a chance. And as long as you enjoyed it, I've done my job.**


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